


Apocrypha

by Skvader



Series: The Soliloquy Saga [2]
Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Angst and Feels, Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Brother Feels, Brotherhood, Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Bonding, Brotherly Love, Brothers, Devil May Cry 5 (Game), Devil May Cry 5 Spoilers, Dysfunctional Family, Dysfunctional Relationships, Epic Friendship, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Family Issues, Father Figures, Father-Son Relationship, Fatherhood, Fluff and Angst, Forgiveness, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Grandparent Vergil (Devil May Cry), Healing, Identity Issues, Male Friendship, Parent Vergil (Devil May Cry), Post-Devil May Cry 5, Team Bonding, Team Feels, Team as Family, Twins, Uncle Dante (Devil May Cry), Unknown threat, V is Not Part of Vergil, Vitale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:13:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 40
Words: 130,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25346005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skvader/pseuds/Skvader
Summary: A week after the events that took place at Fortuna Castle, things have entered a period of calm contemplation. As different problems arise that need the combined efforts of everyone at the Devil May Cry agency to be solved and V looks into his own future plans, a larger threat looms on the horizon that threatens to irrupt into a disaster for everyone involved.Updates Wednesdays and Fridays!Finished! Currently working on part three! Thanks for reading, everyone! See you in book three: Hiraeth! Check out my Soliloquy Saga series list for more detailed information if you'd like to hear more about what I plan to do with the series going forward!
Series: The Soliloquy Saga [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1835569
Comments: 542
Kudos: 74





	1. Chapter One: Contemplation

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: Hello everyone! Notes are at the end today! It's great to have you back for book two! Let me know what you think and thanks for coming back!

Chapter One: Contemplation

"Love seeketh only self to please,  
To bind another to its delight,  
Joys in another's loss of ease,  
And builds a Hell in Heaven's despite."  
-William Blake

-~-

One week later…

Rays of golden light traced a path between the leaves and branches of a great oak tree and showered comforting warmth down upon the pavement below as large puffy white clouds attempted to interrupt them. After a long and arduous week of storms and overcast skies, the warm embrace of the sun was akin to a well stoked fire in the middle of a cold blizzard: comfortable and reaffirming. For it to be the middle of August, it was uncharacteristically cool today, although that could be attributed to the fact that Fortuna was an island and as such it benefited from a constant coastal breeze. That was fortunate considering the manner in which at least half of the island's occupant's still dressed. It seemed that despite their recent reservations about the Order and their illicit activities, some of them still couldn't shake the habit and it was a constant point of conflict within the community. But regardless, the weather was positively idyllic.

It was almost enough to lule someone right off to sleep. Thankfully, V had not given into temptation just yet, as doing so while he was supposed to be watching the children at a public park would be dreadfully irresponsible. He was many things, but he liked to think that "negligent" wasn't one of them. That wasn't to say that the thought hadn't crossed his midday weary mind, however. He had been awake since the crack of dawn, awoken by accident by the sound of Nero and Nico preparing to leave for an impromptu trip to what remained of Redgrave City. The local military had made the decision to quarden off the area and allow several different groups ranging from scientists to government agencies to come study it. But they were still in the beginning phases of building a containment zone around the city. Considering the fact that it was near several other population centers, the prospect of keeping the general public out was basically impossible. This was a project that was going to be months, if not years, in the making, and there would be a reckoning at the end of it. Somehow he could just feel it.

V tilted his head slightly as he forced himself to sit up right and stop slouching over so far on the park bench, his hair practically blinding him. He had to at least pretend that he wasn't on the verge of passing over the border into dreamland. He had volunteered to take the children to the park so that Kyrie could have some much needed "me time" since every other adult had left for the day. She hadn't asked, but he could tell she needed it. Nero generally helped keep them busy when he was home, but that wasn't going to be the case today. They didn't exactly have a school to be at with everything in the city under repairs, so occupying the time of three young boys who seemed to be practically overflowing with energy was difficult to say the least. Kyle, Carlo, and Julio were a stark contrast to him at the moment. It had been just over a week since he had returned to the mortal realm, and although he felt much less weak than he once had and his injuries had long since healed (at an uncharacteristically accelerated pace, at that), he still found himself limited by a staggering lack of energy. It was as if no matter how much he slept, he never stopped being drowsy. Or was that an unintended consequence of his constant napping? Perhaps his newfound accelerated healing abilities had sapped him of his remaining strength? It was relatively hard to say, and he wasn't going to expend valuable mental energy dwelling on it. He had to make it home, after all.

Home…

What a strange concept.

For most of his life he'd be transient to no fault of his own, constantly moving from place to place, so the idea of having a permanent dwelling was almost totally foreign. He wasn't entirely sure he even wanted that. It wasn't something he'd put much thought into, to be honest. For the most part, he just took things one day at a time, especially right now. There was no undue pressure to do anything besides exist here and he liked that, but the absence of a set goal made him admittedly anxious for no particular reason. V exhaled slowly and shook his head at himself. He was one of those people who was incapable of relaxing, wasn't he? The young summoner took a moment to stretch, contemplating the possibility of standing up. Should he go back to the house? There wasn't anything pressing to do there except ruin Kyrie's otherwise serene quiet time with the abrupt and all to familiar sound of excited children. He could spare a few more minutes for her sake before he went back and did the same thing he was doing now but in a different spot: a whole lot of nothing. It was strange how finding out he was part demon killed the excitement of almost everything else around him. Things weren't going to get too much more impressive outside of that. V smirked, starting to understand why seemingly everyone else in his family had a predilection for combat, one that he was easing himself into in his own way. While he was no stranger to a battle himself, he was most certainly much pickier than the rest of his kindred. But, then again, he had good reason to be, all things considered.

As if possessed by a need to spread his wings to keep himself awake, Griffon suddenly materialized and fluttered around the space between him and the sparse playground equipment, unintentionally highlighting the stark contrast between himself and the brightly colored children's attractions. Although a mostly nature oriented space, there were still swings, slides, and climbing equipment to occupy the time of younger visitors. A recent edition as the city attempted to add more outside influences in a bid to reinvent itself, even if only a little. V shot his avian companion a slightly irked look as he flew over to him and perched on the back of the wrought iron park bench he currently occupied, his arms spread out along the back of it leaving only a small space for the demonic bird to claim for himself.

"Pipe down, hot stuff. We're in a park! No one can even see us down here!" Griffon said, flapping both his wings and his beak. He already knew that V was going to object.

V schoffed. Now that they were in a populated city that wasn't composed of demons and the husks of what used to be it's unlucky residents, he was more careful about when and where he allowed his familiars to roam free. Even if Griffon didn't speak, he wasn't the most inconspicuous bird in existence and Shadow was a dead giveaway more likely to send people feeling for their lives than anything else even if they didn't realize she was a demon. While he had no choice but to acknowledge that they were sentient beings with their own wants and desires, they all had to admit that much like discretion was the better part of valor, not drawing the attention of literally everyone on the island was the better part of not causing issues for everyone they lived with. He was privy to the fact that Nero had only recently gained the trust and cooperation of the locals after a lifetime of being ostracized. V himself turned curious and cautious heads alike when he ventured outside of the confines of their cozy home. While no one had said anything to him (at all, really), he was sure that allowing people to see that he possessed demonic helpers in a city that had been terrorized by demons for generations wasn't the greatest way to gain the trust of the locals. That being said, he couldn't say that he was particularly intimidated by the people who lived here, either. They seemed more afraid of him than anything else, and that wasn't too much better if he was being honest. He didn't really enjoy being feared unless it was by his enemies. V possessed enough unsure feelings about himself as it was. He didn't need total strangers to add to it.

"Still though," V said as he threw a cautionary but unconcerned glance in either direction," my previous point still stands. We're not in Redgrave City anymore. I'm asking you to try and be discrete. Nothing more."

"Sure thing, Dorthy. I'll keep it in mind." Griffon said sarcastically as he preened himself.

V closed his eyes for a moment, thinking. At the end of the day, he knew that Griffon wasn't going to be uncooperative. But, at the same time, he understood where his companions were coming from. While they had more or less free roam of the house, there was significantly more room out here for his airally inclined pet to really stretch out and get comfortable. It was a difficult temptation to refuse. And they could almost instantaneously convert back into tattoos. Was he being too stern about this? If there was no one around to see it, what harm could it do? Did they all just need a good flight?

He opened his eyes again, content to put the matter aside for now. There was no harm in it and no rush to come to a decision, but there was definite harm in indecision and stress. Why was coming to a park so stressful to him? Why did he have to overthink everything? Or was he even overthinking in the first place. Ah, there he went again, overthinking things. He needed a distraction…

The white haired man spared a glance at the children. They were as they had been moments ago, playing happily and running amok, causing a ruckus. In a way, he envied them. He'd never really been interested in the concept of physical activity as a child, his attention firmly rooted in literature even then. And he'd never really had the energy… or any friends to play with to speak of…

This was a terrible distraction. Revisiting his childhood was never a healthy idea.

Why did every thought process in his infinitely expanding mind lead down some unwanted or unfortunate path? What he wouldn't give to be able to space out and think nothing at all like a normal person. Was that some facet of his demonic blood; that he should always be on high alert even when at rest? Perhaps he just needed a hobby or some sort of task to complete so that his mind didn't have time to dwell on these types of things. While running from his problems had never been advisable (or worked very well) he needed to set them aside for another time and focus on something more engaging. Or maybe he needed professional help. Who knew?

V uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, propping his elbows up on his knees and resting his face in the palms of his hands. There honestly wasn't much to do on this island, but if he left town and went to the mainland that was a different story. He hadn't done that in the entire time he'd been living with Nero, and he'd never visited the town that the other half of his immediate family lived in. Capulet, was it? Wasn't that next to Enamel, the city that Magnolia dwelled in? And then there was that matter as well. He hadn't visited her yet like she'd asked of him before she'd departed after she'd left the hospital a week earlier. Perhaps he could visit her and browse the local vacancies while he was at it? After all, even though there was no urgent need to leave, looking never hurt. It was something to do at the very least. That had to count for something. And following up with Vergil about the cult was still on the table even if he wasn't entirely sure what to do about that situation just yet. Or if it was preferable. But it had never been about that in the first place. At some point he would have to talk to his father...

Yes, he would start with Magnolia. That seemed to be a favorable course of action given the circumstances. Griffon shook his head, repressing the urge to laugh at how indecisive V was being. While he didn't have a play for play book on what he was thinking since V wasn't talking to him specifically, it didn't take a mental giant to figure out that he was going back and forth over something. And he wasn't getting anywhere from what he could tell.

"I think we should head back now," V said as he stood up. He stretched as much as his eager to protest body would allow him to and gestured towards the children. They pouted as expected, but didn't protest. Throwing a fit wasn't going to earn them a return trip and they knew it. That wasn't a hypothesis they needed to test out. Griffon did a second lap around the playground while V waited for the children to join him before flying back over to dematerialize and rejoin with his master. The group then turned their attention to the path that led out of the park. Home wasn't more than three blocks from here, a fact that V was grateful for considering his continued lack of a cane and his current energy reserves. They would be there in no time at all and it was just past noon. They all had the whole day ahead of them.

-~-


	2. Chapter Two: Homecoming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: A warm welcome back to everyone who's returning for book two! It was great to talk to so many of you again! If you're a new reader, I recommend that you read Soliloquy first so that you have the proper context for this story, but either way, welcome! Nice to meet you! I hope to say hi sometime in the comments! Now on to chapter two!

Chapter Two: Homecoming

-~-

In the seven weeks since the Redgrave City calamity, the local news stations had struck a collective balance between bated silence, unintentional misinformation, and useless conjecture. No one in the general public really knew anything meaningful about the events that had taken place in that forsaken city except for a handful of ground zero survivors, and most of them had stayed surprisingly tight lipped about the ordeal as a whole, knowing little about the events that took place after they had fled to safety. A few had come forward to thank the mysterious white haired vigilante in the black coat that had been rumored to have stalked the streets at all hours during the month long siege in what seemed to be an attempt to help stem the tide of demonic activity, but reports were conflicted to say the least. Most couldn't decide if he -or she- possessed black or white hair, some were unsure as to if they had been working with or against the demons as they claimed that they had commanded several themselves, and several others claimed to have been saved from attacking demons by them and told to flee town while they still could. A few even speculated that perhaps this individual could be a demon themselves, though they all seemed to come to the conclusion that they didn't care all that much and they were simply happy to be alive and eternally grateful to whoever the person had been that had saved their lives. 

Graffiti on abandoned city walls told horrifying stories of desperation and fear, while some even depicted what some had thought to be their savior in an indirect attempt to thank them. But the vast majority of the outside world would never see these works of art in person. The entire city aside from the very outskirts on the north side had been claimed by the government and a perimeter was in the process of being erected. They wanted to study it and try to figure out a concrete answer as to what had led to this horrible tragedy so that they could try to combat it effectively in the future, but it was slow work. They had started on the east and west sides of the city to try and keep neighboring municipalities and their citizens from meddling in what they considered "government affairs", and a considerably weaker foot perimeter had been established at the southern end of the area, leaving the northern side relatively accessible to prying eyes. They were apparently stretched quite thin at the moment and simply didn't have the resources and manpower to do anything more.

And that was good news for Nico and Nero since they had work to do.

Nero craned his neck to the side as he stared blankly at Nico, unsure as to what to say about the scene unfolding in front of him. Sitting along the side of the van were three medium sized moving boxes that were practically overflowing with old books. Most of them were covered in dust and slightly worn from the elements, but probably still readable while others looked to be in need of serious repairs. Some looked just fine. But the question was why were they here?

"Nico… Since when do you read? What the hell is with all these books?" Nero said as he examined one of the boxes of books disinterestedly, shaking his head at the sheer number of books. There were at least two large bookcases worth of them. This seemed beyond excessive to him.

She plopped down the box that she was in the process of loading into the van, allowing it to come to rest on the couch. A loud groan escaped her lips as she turned to step down the step that led to the pavement. She knew that old books were heavy, but these ones had to weigh more than she did! Her back was going to pay dearly for her generosity.

"Oh shut your trap! You know good and well I'm not reading any of these old things," She says as she held up one of the books for emphasis," I'm doing V a favor. He said he'd owe me one if I brought back as many of these as I could find that were still in one piece."

Nero did a slight doubletake, his brow furrowing in a mixture or surprise and confusion. While that made perfect sense, he had to admit that this was news to him. He'd never seen Nico accept an "I owe you" before. Cash was almost always a prerequisite to service when it came to her valuable time and effort. But she'd made an exception for V?

"Your doing him a favor? That's… well, that's nice of you, I guess." Nero said as he shrugged and reached for a nearby box. He knew that she wasn't going to let him help her with the ones she was already carrying. And besides, she'd managed the first one just fine without his help. But tossing the last two boxes in the van for her wasn't going to hurt anyone. Well, accept maybe their backs. How the hell was V going to pick these up anyway? One at a time?

The young mechanic put the box down next to the previous one and shrugged, not really sure what he expected her to say about it. "Yea, well he gave me some pretty rare stuff a while back that I used to make a pretty sick devil breaker, so I kinda owe him. It's whatever. Just a couple books. No bige."

Nero took a moment to consider what she'd said. He recalled a time in Redgrave City right after they had rescued Lady when V had found his way to the van with a chunk of some sort of glowing rock. Nico had seemed pretty excited about that at the time. Was that what she was talking about? Better yet, why did he care so much? Their dealings were none of his business and there probably wasn't anything more to them than V wanting something else to read. He'd tapped out the few books laying around their place that weren't for little kids several days ago (and some of those too, although mostly for the sake of providing entertainment to the children. They enjoyed when he read to them.) and Vergil still had his book at Dante's office, so he was probably starving for mental stimulation. But most of these didn't really look like the types of books you just read for entertainment's sake. Besides the heavy damage they'd incurred due to being left out in the elements for so long, most were educational texts such as dictionaries, legal books, and encyclopedia sets. Who the hell would read a dictionary for fun?

Oh.

As they loaded the final boxes and Nico climbed back into the drivers seat of the van, he couldn't help himself from digging just a little bit further. Now part of him kinda found this funny. As he flopped down into the passenger's seat and put his feet up onto the dashboard, he decided he'd ask a final question and then drop the matter entirely. 

"Did he actually ask you for all these boring dictionaries and crap? I thought he was more into poetry." Nero said offhandedly. He'd heard his brother quote that damn book enough times to glean that from him. Despite popular belief, he wasn't clueless.

Nico shrugged again as she started the engine. "He just said he wanted "collections of books' '. Most of them just happened to be boring shit. Now stop playin' twenty questions with me before I tell him you read his damn book so he can quiz you to death on it!"

He wasn't sure if he actually did it, but he could almost swear that he visibly paled at the statement. That was the last thing he needed. After V had "died" and the rest of his family had swan dived into hell, the book had been left in his care. What had at first been just a few curious glances had somehow turned into him reading the entire book cover to cover despite the fact that he didn't really understand a lot of the concepts covered in the texts. It was all a bit philosophical for him. While he'd done plenty of reading in his lifetime, none of it had been on this kind of subject matter. The only thing it had really impressed upon him was the fact that V was pretty damn smart for his age. After all, they couldn't have been born that far apart. 

And yet, Nero had actually enjoyed reading it. The context behind a lot of the quotes V had rattled off made a lot more sense to him now and they helped paint a picture of a person who was solemn and mournful, but still personable and easy enough to get along with. If he had to describe V in a single word, he'd say he was just misunderstood. Despite being surrounded by people, he always seemed so lonely and out of place. But he'd never say any of this to his face. The last thing he was ready for was a deep conversation with V, though he got the feeling it was an inevitability.

As they drove through the ruined streets of Redgrave City on their way back home, a shared silence fell over them as they crossed the barrier into ground zero. An area twice the size of the colosseum that used to consist of family homes and businesses; parks and plazas. None of that remained now, the entire city block now leveled and covered from head to toe in a thick layer of white ash. Jagged chunks of earth that seemed to jut out of hell itself stuck up out of a massive ravine in the center. On the far side of the clearing were the remnants of the house that V had once pointed out to him, a place he was admittedly curious considering the fact that it was somehow still standing after everything that had happened to this place. What had been the significance of it?

It was a haunting sight to behold, and a terrifying reminder of what his family was capable of when they got carried away. He couldn't stop thinking about how easily something like this had almost happened to Fortuna just a few short years ago. So much death and destruction. It chilled him to his very core and he suddenly felt an intense desire to leave this place and not think about it any further, at least for a while.

As they passed through the far side of the clearing, Nico suddenly slammed on the breaks. Nero jolted forward and smacked his head on the dashboard, his ears ringing and head throbbing. While the impact wasn't hard enough to give him a concussion, it still hurt like hell and he couldn't help but become instantly pissed at the fact that it had happened.

"Nico, what the fuck is-" Nero started to take her to task for her awful driving, only to realize as he sat up that she was no longer in the van. A quick, somewhat panicked glance confirmed that she was standing a few yards away from the van, her back to him. From what he could tell, she seemed to be looking at something on the ground. Nero let out a sigh that was equal parts relief and frustration as he threw the seatbelt over his shoulder and headed over to meet up with Nico. He was curious to see what all the fuss was about. As much as his head hurt, it had better be good.

Before he could say anything, Nico gestured to the ground in front of her. She seemed to know that he was on the brink of scolding her for nearly breaking his neck on the dashboard of their ride, although she didn't seem concerned. She knew he was durable. As he approached, Nero was surprised to find a small patch of red glowing flowers in the middle of space before them. He'd seen them before in the train station, but this was a relatively uncommon occurrence. From what he could tell, they had just grown in since they hadn't been here during their last visit to the city. Apparently something about the Qliphoth pollion made the soil hospitable. At least that's what he was willing to guess. Maybe Magnolia could tell them? After all, she was a botanist. 

But as unusual as it was to see the demonic flowers just growing wildly out in the open, another sight caught his eye. More specifically, Nico gestured towards it in mild disbelief, a slightly wide eyed and giddy look on her face. Impaled smack dab in the middle of the small field of plants was a very familiar piece of shiny metal, a handful of vibrant blue feathers accompanying it. Somehow during everything that had happened at the top of the Qliphoth including it's violent destruction, V's cane had made its way down here and embedded itself in the ground. It was almost unbelievable. They had passed by here once before, but it had been dark out. How on earth had it managed to land in this exact spot so close to one of the only remaining roads? And why had this field of plants sprung up around it? The entire situation was nothing short of astonishing.

Nico shook her head and folded her arms, looking down at the scene unfolding before her. "Looks like I need to run some more tests on this damn thing! Guess I missed somethin' the last time. This is just weird. And what's up with these flowers? We're gonna need some samples of these things. Wonder if there's somethin' to em."

Nero nodded, agreeing in silent bewilderment. While it made perfect sense that it could survive a fall from the height that it did, he was amazed that it hadn't landed in the nearby bay or fallen into a casem somewhere. He wondered how V would react to seeing it again after all this time. More than likely, he'd be relieved considering how he'd used it to assist himself with walking up until the point where it had been lost during their final battle with Urizen. Well, Vergil. He needed to stop thinking about it. That whole situation was complicated and messy and sad and they would all get to it when the time came.

For now, they needed to find something to put these plants in. As supernatural as they seemed to be, they were practically screaming for a visit to Magnolia's shop. Nero was willing to bet that she could help them out with this. "Maybe… but we're never going to find out if we don't grab a couple. Oh, and if your awful driving gets us killed on the way back!"

Nico shrugged nonchalantly as she headed back towards the car to grab the supplies they needed. "Quit cryin' you big baby, you're gonna be fine! Your heads made of thicker stuff than that, trust me. Now come grab a shovel and help me start diggin! I don't plan to still be in this damn place come dinner time."

Nero groaned and dragged himself over to the van. She made a valid point. Several valid points. V and the kids were definitely going to eat all the food if they didn't get back in time. And the last thing Nero felt like dealing with was being hungry and tired after having to fight off an entire city of demons if they were still here come nightfall.

-~-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's great having you all back again for book two! Thanks so much for the ongoing support! I'll see you all again on Friday for chapter three. In the meantime, stay safe and have a great week! I hope it's not half as hot where you live as it is here!


	3. Chapter Three: Indemnification

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: A special thank you to EctoPanda for leaving me a dozen comments in one day. Never in the entire time that I've been writing fan fiction have I ever gotten that many comments in one day. It really made me smile. Also, I had a wonderful time talking to RubixaSeraph and lightjakrises, too! I'm glad you're both enjoying the story!

Chapter Three: Indemnification

-~-

Dante was almost positive that it wasn't possible for a single room to contain any more anxiety and animosity than it currently did. 

Wisely taking the hint from her previous encounter with Vergil, Trish had made herself scarce for the last week or so, only now coming to the office to check on things. She and Lady had been working on a smaller case for Morrison that didn't strictly require both of them to complete. It was more so out of a desire to put some reasonable distance between themselves and the eldest Son of Sparda for the time being, who anyone with eyes could tell possessed a less than positive disposition towards the blond devil. Given these irrefutable facts, they were truly baffled by the fact that they were currently sitting on the couch in Dante's place of residence, the eldest of the twins and their collective relationship with him now the conflict of the day.

Lady folded her arms disobediently, unwilling to humor this argument. Dante hadn't even said anything yet, but she already had a feeling that she knew what this last minute meeting was going to be about. Her feelings about and towards Vergil were… complicated. While she had come to the conclusion a lifetime ago that he was, at most, only partially responsible for what had happened with her family, he had still done some terrible things in the time she'd known him. Her father had made the decision to sacrifice her mother before he'd met Vergil's involvement. She knew that. But it was still difficult for her to comprehend the fact that he was alive and back in the human world, especially considering that this was the second time he'd been directly involved in a demonic invasion. In fact, it was somehow even worse this time!

"Ok, so let me guess, Dante. You're going to ask us to be friendly with Vergil, right?" Lady said bluntly, She didn't seem upset so much as she seemed to be trying to repress the urge to shoot him again.

Trish said nothing, simply glancing between the two of them. While she and Lady sat at opposite ends of the couch, Dante stood in front of them. The subject of this particular conversation was nowhere to be seen, assumedly in some other part of the house. He'd practically ceased to exist just before they had arrived, having spent the day quietly sitting on the couch looking genuinely disinterested before that. Dante was starting to realize that his older twin didn't really have any hobbies besides stabbing him when they disagree with one another, at least none that he ever saw him indulge in. He was almost tempted to start something with his brother just to provide him with entertainment, but he wasn't quite that insane just yet.

"No, not really," Dante said with a half laugh, expecting them to not be thrilled about this," He's just... you know. He said he'd "tolerate" you. Just don't get him upset, ok? It'd be nothing but trouble."

Trish nodded, still not adding vocal input to the discussion. She seemed to be deep in thought; about what, he honestly had no clue. Dante was more than certain that whatever issues they had ran deeper than he knew and that they were going to have to work them out on their own. He just needed them to do it without killing one another. Things were getting increasingly tense as the days passed, and the younger Son of Sparda had the feeling that something bad would come from all of this.

Lady looked as though she was going to ask him what he meant by that statement before a look of realisation crossed her face. She glanced over at Trish, seemingly considering asking her something but unsure as to if she should or not. While she knew about how Trish and Dante had met and some of the events from Malet island, she didn't know all the fine details. They had never concerned her. But now she couldn't help but think that Vergil might be involved in some way since that was the only time period that she could think of where they could have met and found a source of conflict. This couldn't be based purely off of the blond devil's appearance matching that of the twins deceased mother, though she was certain that fact contributed to it. Now that she thought about it, she was glad that Vergil had no specific reason to hate her. It seemed like a hassle.

"We have… history. It's complicated. I'll take it up with him later. As much as I'd like to, I can't avoid the topic forever." Trish said simply as she glanced up from her position at the far end of the couch. Her eyes traveled across the room towards something behind Dante. He shook his head in silent self conformation as Lady glanced over, a somewhat confused look on her face as if she did not understand something.

"Yes, quite right" Vergil said as he approached in relative silence from behind the desk, only alerting them of his presence by speaking," But this isn't the time. It seems we have company..."

Dante sighed knowingly before glancing over at the front door to the office. Vergil spared him a brief but questioning glance as the doors opened and a young woman with long, semi curly blond hair and blue eyes stormed in, coming to a stop with her hands on her hips. Morrison flanked her, clearly suppressing the urge to laugh at something. He seemed to be waiting for something to happen. Vergil glanced over at her curiously. He'd never seen her before in his entire life. From what he could tell, she was a few years younger than his own children.

"Hey Patty! I didn't know you were in town… what are you-" Dante said almost tenitavely before she held her hand up to stop him. She was clearly livid and, from what Vergil could tell, everyone in the room aside from him seemed to know why.

"Oh, don't play stupid, Dante! You know exactly why I'm here!" Vergil's assumption that she was angry proved to be correct as she took him to task, stepping closer and furrowing her brow in abject rage. " You totally blew me off on my birthday, you jerk! Why would you do that?! I was so excited to have you meet all my friends! And then you just disappeared for like three months! I thought you were dead! Where have you been?! You better have a good explanation for all of this because I'm so upset with you right now!"

Vergil did a massive internal double take as a look of embarrassment crossed his twin brother's face. He didn't need to ask if she was telling the truth. Clearly she was. But what he did intend to get sorted out was her relationship with his younger twin. Who on earth was this woman and why did she have such an effect on Dante. He was absolutely going to stab his twin if he found out he was in a relationship with her. After all, she was young enough to be his…

Oh.

There was simply no way. Could she be…?

"Yea, um… I was taking care of something important," Dante said as he gestured towards his twin with a tilt of his head," Nothing personal, I just don't do birthday parties."

Patty exhaled in irritation, her eyes finally catching sight of Vergil. She lowered and unfolded her arms slowly, looking equal parts alarmed and perplexed. She then migrated one of her arms back to her hip, a slight smile ghosting across her lips. She nodded to herself as if thinking before speaking.

"So um, who are you? I don't think we've met." She said, setting her fury aside for a moment in order to appear more cordial," I'm patty Lowell. And your…?"

The eldest of the twins stared at her in silence for a long moment, contemplating if he had the mental energy for this today. After resigning himself to the fact that interacting with her was probably the quickest way to stop all the yelling and petty hostility that was going on, he sighed and shook his head, sparing a glance between his twin and the young woman before answering her.

"Vergil. His older brother." He said as he gestured offhandedly towards Dante," How did you come to be in the company of this misfit?"

Patty smiled and snickered, giving Dante a grumpy but somewhat more playful look. "Oh, he tried to help me out when I was a little kid. I've just kinda hung around ever since. But he still owes me a birthday party, a couple of outfits, and like fifteen ice cream cones! Maybe you can talk some responsibility into him since you're his older brother. You look more reasonable than he does! I had no idea he had a brother! Are you guys twins or something?"

Although his brain was still processing the barrage of statements she had let fly, he nodded, throwing Dante an unreadable look. "Identical twins, actually. And I'm afraid he may be a lost cause. I'd give up now while you're ahead if I were you."

Patty smacked Dante with her purse, huffing in irritation as he yelped in surprise. "Who forgets to tell people they have an identical twin, Dante! Rude!"

Dante rubbed his arm in slight discomfort, taken off guard once again by how shockingly strong she was. He was having war flashbacks to the time she'd knocked him senseless with a broom. Or had it been a mop. All he remembered was it hurting and him storming out. That, and the fact that he had hurt her feelings then, too. This was a pattern with her, wasn't it. Yikes.

"She's basically his daughter. He's even said so a few times," Lady said casually from the couch as she watched the world burn around her," This sort of thing happens a lot, I've noticed. He owes her a lot of stuff at this point. Like that trip to the beach she's been asking for for like ten years. Morrison, am I forgetting anything?"

Morrison shrugged but nodded, having lost count a long time ago. The youngest Son of Sparda shot his friend a horrified look as Patty unleashed a barrage of smacks with her handbag, huffing from the effort. "Yea, when are we taking that trip to the beach?! You've been putting that off for a lifetime, Dante! What gives? Do you... just not like me?"

Dante stopped her, finally getting a grip on the bag so she couldn't swing it anymore. He shook his head, seemingly startled by her statement. "No no, it's nothing like that. I just… I don't know what to tell you, Patty."

Vergil repressed the urge to smirk wickedly at the thought that occurred to him in that moment. "Why don't you make everything up to her by honoring her request to go on this trip to the ocean? That would settle things, wouldn't it?"

If it had been possible, Dante would have frozen sollid upon hearing his twin brother's suggestion. Was his twin actually giving him advice on how to deal with his surrogate daughter? Had Vergil rolled out of the bed and cracked his head open on the bedside table this morning? What had gotten into him? Was he genuinely trying to be more reasonable. The younger of the two had a feeling that he could find out easy enough…

"That wouldn't be much of a party, would it, brother? I mean, if everyone here went, that would still only be, what, six people? You should invite Nero and V. You know, get to know them better." Dante barely hid the snakish grin threatening to spread across his face as he spoke. On the one hand, he knew that his brother probably detested the beach and everything about it almost as much as he hated having meaningful conversations with members of his family. But on the other hand, was he really going to turn down both the opportunity to get to know both of his sons better and the challenge issued by his younger twin? Especially when that challenge had been issued in front of an audience?

No way in hell.

The eldest of Sparda's sons looked at his brother like he wanted to tear his vocal cords out of his throat with his bare hands. And that wasn't even out of the realm of possibility. He was more than likely capable of doing just that. Vergil folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes, white hot fury replacing the blood that used to course through his veins. Dante wanted to play games with him, did he? Fine then. He wouldn't allow him to win so easily. "They are going to say no, you know that, don't you?"

"I don't think so. I mean, V probably isn't going to really say anything and Nero," Dante laughed slightly," He'd never miss the opportunity to make you as uncomfortable as you make him. Besides, you haven't talked to them in a week. Why miss the opportunity?"

Because I'd rather die than sit in sand all day in the baking heat Vergil thought to himself as he let out a long, agonized sigh. As much as he hated to admit it to himself, Dante made a good point. This was a good opportunity for him to spend time with them. He needed to figure out how to speak with them both at some point in the future, especially V. They had almost no dialogue to speak of and there were countless issues to address. Not to mention that he needed to look into this cult that might still be hunting him down. Being able to speak with his eldest son would help facilitate that. It was… unfortunate.

Vergil cursed himself internally. He was starting to wish he'd stayed in the underworld.

"... Fine then… I shall contact Nero, Vergil said begrudgingly as he crossed the office and headed over to the phone on his brother's desk. He hated making phone calls, too. They were far too impersonal for his tastes. "Don't make me regret doing this, Dante."

Dante shrugged and gave all three girls a glance before shooting Morrison a murderous look for daring to bring Patty over with him. He'd probably come to talk business, but the included show had been a bonus for him. Only one thing ever happened when he brought Patty over with him and he knew it. He'd probably been planning this for a long time. And now Lady and Trish were probably going to take patty bathing suit shopping and find some way to tack it onto his existing debt.

The younger twin smirked to himself as he watched Vergil try and fail once again to understand how the office phone worked. At least they would both be miserable for a change. And they had never gone on a vacation together before. Or spent any meaningful time together since they had been young children. Maybe this trip wouldn't be so awful after all.

-~-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm utterly horrified by how late this chapter is. Have you ever started working on something important and then fell asleep only to wake up the next night and still have nothing done? That's what I did with this chapter. Once I realized it was going to be late, I decided to take the plunge and flesh it out more, but I'm still super sorry that this was so late. I'll start working on the next chapter later on today after I get some rest. I pulled an all nighter working on this one, so I hope it's to your liking. And once again, sorry for the mega late upload. Forgive me, please! See you on Wednesday!


	4. Chapter Four: Benevolence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I loved talking to everyone and reading your comments! Thanks for the support! I feel loved and appreciated. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and all the ones to come.

Chapter Four: Benevolence

-~-

A gentle breeze picked up as the group rounded the corner and approached the front steps of the house. V opened the door and watched as the children filed into the house, immediately calling out to Kyrie to inform her that they were home as they took off their shoes and headed up stairs to their shared bedroom. They presumably intended to continue playing, a fact that V found exhausting to even comprehend considering the fact that they had spent several hours at the park. He'd chock it up to youthful vigor, but he hadn't had that kind of energy as a child and he also didn't feel like making himself feel that old so early in the day.

Kyrie approached from the living room, yawning as she stretched and adjusted her posture. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes before greeting the children and then turning her attention to V. Her usual smile was present although, at least to him, she seemed to be waking up from a nap and not entirely cognizant yet. She yawned again before speaking.

"I really appreciate you taking them to the park for me today," She said, beaming from her restful sleep," I hope they didn't cause too much trouble."

V shook his head, contemplating the idea of a nap of his own. Just looking at her made him more tired than he already was. Curling up with a good book in the arm chair that sat near the window in the living room and reading until he nodded off sounded like a tempting proposition. "They were very well behaved, all things considered," He said shooting a placid glance in the direction of the stairs," It was my pleasure."

"That and you certainly needed a nap, didn't you" He thought to himself as she headed into the kitchen. Kyrie turned the eye off on the stove and removed the teapot that sat atop of it, setting it down on the counter next to the refrigerator. Apparently she had been awake a little longer than he'd originally guessed.

"Would you like a cup?" She asked as she grabbed down the container that the tea was housed inside of. V nodded once in polite, wordless conformation, unwilling to pass up the opportunity to warm up a little. He was always slightly cold as a general rule. Kyrie took down a second cup and placed a flavored tea bag inside of each of them before douching them each with an appropriate amount of hot water and allowing them to steep. V made a mental note to purchase a kettle whenever he finally decided to venture out on his own.

Drinking tea with Kyrie was something he found himself doing quite often as of late, and he had gradually become accustomed to it. While they didn't really have anything to converse over while sipping their drinks, they each enjoyed taking a moment to simply savor the silence around them. Having three children around at all times could be never shredding at times, so any period of extended silence that they could procure was a welcome change of pace for everyone who lived there.

As the two of them fixed their respective drinks and began to drink them, V thanked her. He had come to appreciate how kind and considerate she was, always taking into account the comfort and happiness of those around her. Nero was exceptionally lucky to have someone like her in his life, and he was grateful to know her by extension. He hadn't experienced very many occasions in his life where he had met someone he could definitively say was genuinely concerned about those around them. But he could tell she felt that way about everyone she lived with. It was unfamiliar but refreshing for him to be surrounded by so many people who actually cared about him.

"If it's not too much trouble, can I ask you to do something for me, please?" She asked tentatively, seemingly unsure of how he would respond to the request.

V glanced up at Kyrie, giving her a curious look. He hoped he hadn't done something to upset her. She didn't seem upset, but assuming he'd something undesirable was his natural state until proven otherwise."Yes, of course."

"Would you be willing to come to the orphanage with me to meet the other children?" She seemed almost embarrassed to make such a request of him as if she was acutely aware that she was asking him to do something she knew he wouldn't normally do," Kyle, Carlo, and Julio seem to adore you, so I thought the other children might too!"

He was slightly surprised by what she'd just asked of him. While it wasn't an unreasonable request, he couldn't help but feel instantly uncomfortable at the prospect of going to an orphanage and interacting with children. It reminded him of things that he'd buried deep anc chosen to forget. He suppressed the urge to squirm in response to the visceral level of discomfort that he felt and nodded slowly, almost as if he were telling himself yes instead of her. This was the only thing she'd ever really asked of him. He could do that.

"... Yes...I could entertain the prospect. When did you have in mind?" It only occurred to him that he didn't really have any plans to speak of aside from taking a nap and catching up on one of the books he'd been reading. Well, rereading. He hoped Nico had found something worth wild during their excursion that day. He was woefully bored of the literature he had on hand. The selection was quite limited. At this point, he was willing to take just about anything he could get his hands on. A dictionary would suffice!

I was hoping we could go today, if that would be alright" She said cheerfully, " They are going to start making dinner in about an hour and I was going to go help them out like I normally do this time of week! They need all the help they can get with so many little mouths to feed!"

V choked on his drink.

-~-

All things considered, it seemed like Nero and Nico would be arriving back at home just in time for dinner. While sunset was still an hour or so off, the ferry would be making port shortly, and they would be home within the next little while. It had been a productive day as far as they were considered, so now it was time to enjoy a hot meal and take a well earned rest.

"I'm surprised the boat didn't sink from all these damn books, Nico." Nero said nonchalantly, earning him a prompt but playful middle finger from his mechanic companion. He took it with a grain of salt, already expecting that kind of response. They had each become accustomed to one another's sense of humor a while ago.

Nero glanced out over the water, catching a glimpse of their newly found relic in the back of the van. She'd been examining V's cane ever since they had left Redgrave City, so it was currently leaning against the wall over by Nico's work table. He wasn't sure what she hoped to discover, but he was willing to admit that he was becoming more curious as time passed. Did she think it possessed some sort of magical properties or something like that? While it wasn't out of the realm of possibility, he didn't really know if he thought that was the case or not.

"So what's the deal with the cane again? Is it cursed or somethin'?" Nero asked as he turned his attention to the front of the van again. They would be docking momentarily.

Nico glanced back before turning forward again and adjusting her position in the seat again. "Hell if I know! It's V's, so who knows. I found some weak demonic power comin' off of it, but I can't really tell where it came from. Hell, I can't even tell what kinda metal it's made out of!"

Nero laughed to himself, internally acknowledging that it must drive a former gunsmith up the walls to not be able to identify a type of metal. But that fact only made the cane more interesting to him. Where had he gotten a cane from that wasn't made out of a regular type of metal? Was it composed of some sort of experimental alloy or something? Heck, did it come from the underworld? Was it a devilarm?!

While the last option seemed unlikely, he couldn't rule it out completely. It made him feel slightly more comfortable about her request to study it just a little longer before returning it to its former owner. A day or two didn't seem like an unreasonable proposition, but no longer than that. At least that's what he hoped. From what he could tell, V actually did use it to get around. He tended to pick a spot and stay in it for prolonged periods of time compared to the level of mobility he had illustrated that he was capable of back in Redgrave City. That could be for a number of reasons to be fair, especially considering that he had only been back about eight days and was more than likely still recovering from their fight at Fortuna Castle and his original resurrection. And for all he knew V might just operate on low power in a domestic setting, reserving his energy for more pressing matters such as fighting demons. He didn't seem ill or anything, so maybe worrying over him was actually detrimental? Nero couldn't say, but he did find it difficult not to worry about him from time to time. He felt almost compelled to do so. Maybe it was the fact that he knew that they were brothers now, or maybe it was what hand happened to Credo a few years back. Perhaps it was because of his much weaker disposition, or a combination of all three. He couldn't say for sure. But he also had to acknowledge that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing either. Maybe he just cared about him.

Nero blushed slightly at the concept. Not very visibly, but he could feel his face grow perceptively warmer regardless. It was so strange to him. He'd never been able to really understand or coexist very well with quiet people growing up. Even as an adult they still had a special way of getting under his skin and making him uncomfortable as a general rule. Not knowing what someone was thinking made him uneasy, especially when they were as unreadable as V was. To this day, he still had a litany of questions he needed answered about his newfound sibling, but he wasn't sure where to start. No one liked being probed, and the last thing he wanted to do was to come off as invasive and totally insensitive. There was never a simple course of action when it came to V. Or was there? Was he overthinking this whole thing? Maybe just asking him to talk to him about these sorts of things would go over better than he thought. After all, never starting was a sure fire way to never get anywhere.

It was decided, then. He would ask him something simple when they got home. Something that he'd always wanted to know from the moment that he'd met him.

… What the fuck was his first name?

He seemed to always introduce himself as the same thing, but he was genuinely curious. The last time he'd brought it up, V had drawn a firm line in the sand with a succulent "no" and totally abandoned the subject. But no one named their kid a one letter name, did they? That seemed totally unlikely to him. He didn't really expect a different answer this time around, but he was just curious. It didn't seem like something he'd get upset about. If anything, he figured that there was some crazy reason behind it that he'd probably get a good laugh out of when V wasn't around to hear it.

"So ya gonna keep spacing out or are ya gonna come in the house? Cause I wanna eat dinner." Nico said, interrupting the deluge of scatterbrained thoughts that he'd been lost in for- had it really been that long? They were home already?! Wow. That had felt pretty quick… Then again, spacing out tended to alter one's perception of the passage of time. At least they were home now.

"I'm coming already. Don't worry about it." Nero said as he opened the side door and slipped out onto the ground. The concrete pavement welcomed his boots with a low thud, confirming that he was indeed in his own garage again. Yea, he definitely needed a nap or something. It was crazy how fast they had gotten here. Nero hoped that Nico hadn't killed anyone in the process. Her driving was pretty awful after all.

Nero crossed the space between the van and the garage door (what little there was) and headed towards the door. He turned the knob and pushed it open, stepping inside. Nico followed closely behind him, passing the white haired devil hunter and taking off her shoes before heading towards the stairs as soon as they got inside. Kyrie called out to greet them from another room, seemingly on the second floor of the house from what he could tell. He couldn't tell from the smell what Kyrie had been cooking, but he immediately felt more hungry that he had a few seconds before.

A cursory examination of the first floor yielded the result that he was alone now, so he shrugged out of his coat and boots and headed into the kitchen to grab something to drink. He grabbed the first thing that his hand landed on (a picture of water) and poured himself a glass before taking a peak at whatever was in the oven. He still couldn't really tell, although it seemed like a much smaller dish than usual. Kyrie must've volunteered to help make dinner at the orphanage again. They had probably eaten dinner with the children and then she had headed home to throw something for him, Nico, and V in the oven. How considerate of her.

He cursed himself for his total lack of cooking skills. He'd love to help her out more with those sorts of things, but he wasn't really sure how. Keeping the kids entertained so she could have a moment of peace was his specialty. She did enough as far as he and everyone else was concerned. Anything they could do to help her out they did, no questions asked.

Nero finished his glass of water and stepped into the living room, intent on closing the curtains. Since it would be dark soon, he figured that it might be a good idea. While no one in town was probably stupid enough to try and break in or anything of the sort, he didn't need prying eyes viewing what they were up to in their private lives. This was a gossip fueled town full of religious folks, after all. The last thing he wanted to do was provide them with something to work off of.

Upon closing the curtains, he turned around and did a silent double take. How long had V been sitting there asleep in the corner of the room? The part devil in question had dozed off on the far end of the couch nearest to him, seemingly exhausted from what he could tell. He always had this look to him that gave away his current energy levels, though Nero couldn't pinpoint what it was if he were asked to. He could just tell. He was willing to guess that the children had probably worn him out as per usual. Carlo had shown an almost magnetic attraction to him that they all found collectively endearing, V included though he never vocalized this opinion. The little child shadowed him around the house at all hours, captivated by whatever he was doing, even when he wasn't doing anything at all. It was honestly quite funny. And when he wasn't doing that, he was begging V to read one of his little toddler books to him, a request that he generally obliged, though he was probably ready to hide that book somewhere that it could never be found due to repetition alone.

The younger white haired devil hunter slipped out of the room silently, remembering that he hadn't let the garage down or locked the door. An easy mistake to make. He made his way over to the door, slipping out of it quietly as to not wake V. While he wasn't exactly a light sleeper, he still felt the need to try not to disturb him. No one liked to be roused from a restful slumber. Upon closing the door, he headed over to the metal folding door and pulled it downward, being mindful to do so slowly so as no to make unnecessary noise. It wouldn't make sense to creep out here and then loudly drop the door. Once the latch was secure, he stood up and locked it, content with his handiwork. The van was locked, but he gave it a quick once over just to be completely sure before heading back into the house and locking the door behind himself.

Nero stepped back into the kitchen and repressed the urge to curse to himself as he caught sight of V, now awake and standing in front of the fridge drinking a glass of water of his own. Whatever had been in the oven was now sitting on the counter in front of them, cooling off so that it could be eaten. Nero wasn't sure how V managed to do that so quickly since he'd only been gone for a few minutes at most, but it had happened nonetheless.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to look at whatever this dish was and not try to eat it, so Nero decided to give into temptation and do so, reaching up into the cabinet to try and locate a dish. V watched him do so, contently sipping his drink with a thoughtful look on his face. Nero located the plate and grabbed a fork, carefully plating up a small portion of the antre to taste. While the smell alone testified to it's edibility, he was still cautious whenever he tried something new. Thankfully, he wasn't a very picky eater.

"You know, I've only been home like ten minutes and you've already scared the shit out of me twice, V," Nero said casually as he fanned the now plated food in an effort to make it cool off quicker," I don't understand how you move around so quietly. It's kinda freaky."

V smirked at the statement, shrugging slightly in response. He wasn't really sure what to say to that statement. He was just light on his feet, he supposed. Either that or Nero was used to him walking with his cane. "My cane made most of the noise."

Nero nodded, considering his statement as he tasted the food. He slowly chewed the mouthful of food, finding it more to his liking that he would have originally assumed considering that fact that it seemed to be made entirely out of vegetables. While he wasn't a picky eater, he didn't normally gravitate towards these sorts of dishes. What the hell was this? It was delicious!

"Do you have any idea what this is," Nero asked as he gestured towards the pan of food with a slight tilt of his head," It's pretty fucking good! Never had this before."

V tilted his head downward slightly, glancing away from him in an attempt to not make eye contact. He looked almost embarrassed for whatever reason. Or at least that was how it seemed to the younger of the two. Nero gave him a curious look, his interest piqued by V's sudden and odd shift in behavior. Before he could inquire as to what the problem was, V responded.

"It's Ratatouille. I'm… glad you like it." He suddenly looked as though he had been asked to speak publicly in front of a large audience, looking anywhere but directly at Nero.

A look of shock and disbelief danced across his face as Nero processed the fact that Kyrie hadn't cooked this. It had never occurred to him that V might actually know how to cook. Had he accidentally eaten something he wasn't supposed to? V seemed to catch onto his surprised demeanor, feeling the need to elaborate despite his own discomfort.

"Everyone else has already eaten, so that is for the both of you," He said almost sheepishly," I... didn't think to make anything to go with it. I apolo-"

Nero waived his fork at him, gesturing for him to stop. Was he going to apologize after he had done him a favor? V was truly something else sometimes. "No, no, this is great! Don't even start! Nico isn't getting any of this."

V smirked again, almost smiling as Nero used a fresh fork to dish more of the food into his plate. Either he was adamant that he actually liked it, or he was putting on a very convincing act. V wasn't going to think too hard about it and simply take his word for it. As for Nico not getting any… he worried for his younger brother's well being if he wasn't kidding.

Before he could say anything else, a loud ringing noise reverberated off of the walls from down the hallway. They both instantly recognized the sound of the phone ringing and stepped towards it, awkwardly almost waking into one another but unsure as to who was actually going to answer it. Each time one of them tried to step forward, the other did so as well, leading to an uncoordinated dance that went nowhere. Finally Kyrie came from the other end of the hall and picked up the phone, saving them from themselves and they looked on in utter embarrassment. Nero tried to pretend he wasn't there as V sipped on the last of his drink, trying to hide his awkwardness behind the clear glass.

She smiled and nodded as she greeted the caller before turning towards the two of them. "Oh, it's your father! He'd like to talk to you both about something! Isn't that wonderful?"

For the second time that day, V choked on his drink.

-~-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for taking the time to read the latest chapter! I'll be back soon with another entry! Thanks a bunch and I hope to see you again on Friday for the newest installment! Take care and stay safe!


	5. Chapter Five: Resolution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Thanks for the feedback on the last chapter and sorry that this one is slightly late. I've been having some health issues this week (I'm fine, don't worry!) so I spent a lot of time asleep and managed to overshoot my publishing deadline! I'm glad everyone is enjoying the story so far, though!

Chapter Five: Resolution

-~-

An incredibly awkward silence settled across the room as Kyrie held the phone in her off hand, staring at them both in semi-confused and flustered state. Every second that passed made the fact that neither Nero nor V had made an effort to take the phone from her more uncomfortable. V glanced over at Nero, still recovering from nearly choking to death on his water. He cleared his throat slightly to remove both the tension in the room and the discomfort he felt in his waterlogged airway. The prospect of talking to their father at the moment unnerved him. He had absolutely no idea what to say to him. Making small talk (or any other form of conversation) wasn't a talent he possessed when it came to Vergil. It was as if his entire comprehension of the english language evaporated when he was required to conversate with him. And while he had since made peace with this facet of his personality, he still didn't understand the underlying cause of his considerable anxiety.

He took a tentative step towards Kyrie with the intent of answering the phone, only to be sidestepped by Nero who calmly waved him off as he reached to take the phone. Although none of V's apprehension and hesitation were readily visible on his face, Nero seemed to key into them. This was more than likely due to him sharing different but similar feelings towards the situation. Kyrie handed him the phone with a questioning buy sympathetic look before taking a step back so that he could step closer to the receiver.

"... So… It's been, what? A week, right?" Nero said hesitantly. He didn't really know what else to say at that point in time.

For a brief moment, the phone went totally silent before Vergil responded. It was hard to tell how he had taken that statement. A pang of discomfort gripped Nero. Did he actually feel bad for being short with him? Why?

"... Apparently we're going to the waterfront in a few days... I was… calling to," There was a brief pause as Vergil seemed to consider what he wanted to say next," … Do either of you actually go to the beach?"

Nero glanced in the direction of his seemingly taken aback sibling, making a mental note of the fact that he seemed to possess unusually good hearing. The phone wasn't on speaker and Vergil hadn't spoken very loud. While V wasn't standing very far away, he was standing far enough back to where he shouldn't have been able to make out the vocabulary being used. It was as curious as it was impressive. Some sort of passive ability? Nero himself had pretty good hearing, something that had come in handy during his hunts, but still.

"I've literally never been to the beach," Nero said as V nodded along information, seemingly concurring with his statement but not wanting to interrupt him," ...What is this about?"

The eldest Son of Sparda exhaled in resignation, clearly hoping that Nero would simply agree to his offer without any objections. "...I … thought that this might be a good opportunity to… would either of you consider going?"

V stepped closer, clearly thinking. He leaned against the wall, considering their father's offer. While the prospect of spending a day around him caused goosebumps to spread across his entire body, he was more than a little aware that they would have to learn to speak to one another at some point if they had any hope of getting along. Nero gave him a curious look as though he was surprised that he was considering his offer, not so much because he had immediately decided to ignore the request, but because of the sheer amount of conflict that it seemed to cause him. They shared a silent moment of confirmation before Nero turned back to the phone, resigned to their fate.

"Yea, I guess we could."

-~--

Nico had nearly murdered Nero when she had found out that V had made them both dinner and he hadn't told her, the delectable taste nearly sealing the certainty of his demise. She, much like Nero, had been shocked to find out that V could cook. But to cook this well and never even elude to it? Truly shocking. Why on earth had it taken him this long to mention that he could do this? Did he think that he couldn't?!

"Your shittin' me," Nico said as she helped Nero wash their dishes after finishing their meal," You gotta get him to tell us how he made this!"

The short haired young man shrugged, drying off a dish as he turned off the tap. He was still surprised that they had actually eaten that and it had been as good as it was. It was proof that simple dishes could be just as good as more complicated ones. He would love to eat that again. 

"You could ask him, too, Nico. I don't think he'd care."

She shrugged nonchalantly, noddeding in reluctant agreement. Nero made a valid point. She and V were friendly enough. It wouldn't be problematic at all to ask that of him. From what she knew, he was in his bedroom. Why not go talk to him before he went to bed?

"Welp, I'll catch ya later," Nico said as she stuck her last dish in the cabinet and turned towards the hallway," I've got some questions that need answering!"

Nero waived her on and went back to putting the dishes up as she headed out of the kitchen and down the hallway. She made a sharp turn to the right and passed the front door, heading towards the far end of the house where V's bedroom was. She gave an involuntary quick glance in the direction of the garage door and the front entrance, noting subconsciously that everything was locked. She felt safe there, there was no doubting that. But after what had happened to Nero earlier that year, everyone tended to double check things like that. A sense of security and control, even a little one, was a relief.

After less than a minute of walking, the young gunsmith reached the door. For a moment, she extended her hand to knock before recalling it. Oddly enough, she hadn't actually knocked on V's door before despite sharing a home with him. He tended to reside in the living room for the majority of the day and she rarely needed his assistance with anything. They had a friendly but standoffish relationship that consisted mostly of friendly greetings and passing remarks, but they didn't really conversate very often. It was actually quite unusual for her to come to his bedroom for anything. Nico felt the need to bring something to break the ice.

The young woman turned back in the direction of the front entrance, walking over towards the garage door. She unlocked it and quietly slipped out, propping it open as she went with a piece of wood that she kept behind the inside of the door just in case she needed it. Nico then headed into the dark room and turned on the light, not eager to trip over any of her tools or lose cabels. The young dark haired woman then unlocked and opened the side door to the van, sliding it open to make room for herself and the cargo she planned to unload. After clambering into the van, she looked through the boxes of books, hoping to find the one that was in the best shape. It didn't take long for her to find the first one she had packed. Logically, she had sorted through the best looking books first, so this was the best place to start. 

She bent over and picked it up before hopping down out of the van and setting it down to make it easier to close the van door. After closing the door and locking it back up, she picked it back up and walked over to the inside door, cursing herself for coming up with this idea. Books were very heavy, and having to overcompensate due to the cardboard box not being nearly sturdy enough to hold them was problematic for her posture. Regardless, she made it into the house without much of a problem. Using her foot to close the garage door, she continued down the hall and made a mental note to lock everything back up later on.

When she reached V's door this time, she used her foot to knock on the door. The next time she sat down the box would hopefully be her last. It was doing a number on her back.

"Hey, you awake?" She asked as she tapped her foot on the door again, trying not to lose her center of balance," I got a delivery for ya! Open up!"

Just as she was going to knock again, the door opened. In a blur of motion, she stumbled forward and stopped abruptly. A rhythmic flapping noise similar to a sail in a light breeze could be heard behind her as she tried to regain her senses.

"Well, if it isn't the little artist," A familiar voice said sarcastically as she tried to stand up straight," Your lucky he's got fast reflexes. Well, sometime. Otherwise you'd be on the floor."

Nico glanced over her shoulder and caught sight of Griffon. He was holding her by the back of her shirt, flapping his large iridescent blue wings in an attempt to keep her steady as she lurched forward holding the box of books. The weak cardboard strained from the weight of the heavy books that were now pulling on the front side of the box. Unexpectedly, the box began to tear open. Luckily for Nico, V had made his way over to her during the time since she'd opened the door and he grabbed the box, lifting it from the bottom in an action that helped keep the box from tearing and steadying her. She sighed in relief as they lowered the large box onto the floor and allowed it to come to rest. With her arms wrapped around the box and her chest touching it, falling face first towards the floor and making impact could have ended badly.

"Thanks, V. Didn't want to drop all of those on my feet," She said as she leaned back against the wall behind her and straightened her back out," You too, chicken. Maybe I won't cook you for dinner tomorrow after all!"

Griffon fluttered away from her, coming to a rest on the top of the bookcase. He started to preen himself, clearly displeased with her joke. "Next time, I'm just gonna let you wipe out on the floor! I don't care how nice V asks!"

V had dragged the box of books closer to his bed and sat down, shaking his head slightly at the silliness that had unfolded in front of him. "It wasn't a problem. You're alright, I expect?"

Nico nodded and approached the bed, gesturing towards it in an offhand way of asking if she could join him. V seemed to consider her request for a moment before scooting over slightly despite the abundance of room. Nico repressed the urge to snicker at how little he enjoyed having other people in his personal space and joined him, giving the box of books he was examining a look. To her they were just old books, but he looked almost excited by what she'd brought back. He turned over a book in his hands, examining it before reaching the next one. From what she could tell he was sorting them.

"Yea, I'm fine. Got five more boxes of those in the van if you want em'." She said as she watched him look over the books," But I wanna know how you made that stuff earlier first!"

V chuckled under his breath, a pleasant smirk spreading across his face. Somehow he knew she was going to bring that up. "I accept your terms, Nico. Thank you for helping me with this. I'll have to do so after I return tomorrow."

She shrugged, happy to have helped him out. After all, he had never really asked much of her. It wasn't any kind of problem for her to grab a few books for him. "Where ya headed? To the mainland?"

He nodded, standing up and walking over to the bookcase that Griffon currently sat on. He carried a stack of books with him and began to line them up on the shelves, organizing them by some sort of criteria that she wasn't privy to. "Yes. I intend to visit Magnolia. We have a few matters to discuss."

"Oh, you are, hu? What a coincidence," She said as she got up and headed towards the door, "Nero and I found something today that we want her to take a look at."

V seemed curious but didn't inquire any further despite seeming to consider it for a moment. He returned to the bed for another stack of books to place on the bookcase. As he stacked them, Nico glanced down the now darkened hallway and yelped in shock as a black four legged figure stalked down the hallway, brushing past her as it entered the room. The familiar panther crossed the room and plopped down onto the bed, seemingly making herself comfortable. V barely seemed to pay her any mind. Nico cursed under her breath.

"Shit… how do you sleep with that stalking around all night?" She said as the panther lifted her head to look at her. As if to answer Nico's question, Shadow hopped down off of the bed and came to rest at her feet, sitting in front of her obediently. V glanced over at her, giving her head a gentle scratch and earning himself a deep rumbling purr. A look of disbelief crossed her face. Oh. That's how he did it.

"She's relatively harmless. Well, at least unless I decide otherwise," V said as he put the last of that stack on the bookcase and headed over to the bed for the last of the books," I can deliver the item you would like her to look at tomorrow if you'd like."

The young mechanic nodded as she reached over and hesitantly placed her hand on the panther, earning her lick on the hand. Her anxiety eased as she patted the large cat and slipped out of the door. That was enough excitement for her for one day. "Sure thing, V. I'll drop you off. See ya in the mornin'."

V nodded, giving her an appreciative smirk. She'd almost call it a smile. "And you as well. Rest well."

With a final nod, she slid out of the room and closed the door behind herself, leaving V to play with his pets and his books. She'd take him up on that recipe offer letter.

-~-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I discovered that my Google Docs files stop spell checking after a while for some reason. I couldn't tell you why, but it helps me understand some of the silly little errors slip through. I gave this a second look over, but I still apologize for anything I missed. See you next Wednesday for chapter six. Hopefully I'll feel better by then! Take care everyone!


	6. Chapter Six: Consultation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: I wanted to take a moment to say hello to newcomers YinHai17 and EctoPanda. I had fun reading your comments! It's always nice to hear from everyone who reads my stories, new and old, so it made me smile to see a few new faces in my inbox. Thanks for reaching out! Also, I'm changing the break icon to this "(-~-)" because it's not showing up on FanFiction.Net and the parentheses seem to help (from what I can tell) and it makes the pacing pretty awkward.

Chapter Six: Consultation

(-~-)

Colorful morning light danced between the clouds creating a patchwork of rainbow hues that reflected off of the residual moisture present in the fog as a light rain coated the road in negligible amounts of liquid. It was actually more of a misty rain than anything else, but the effect was similar to that of a thick fog and you couldn't honestly really tell the difference either way. It lended the area an air of tranquility and slowness that one would normally equate to a snowy day in winter. An unusual thing to experience in the first week of August.

The buildings passed by in a misty blur as the van made its way through the early morning streets. No one was really out at this time of morning save for a few unlucky souls that were more than likely on their way to work or school. There would be little reason besides that to be out here.

Perched on the couch silently with his face in the palm of his hand and his shoulder leaned against the window frame was V. The young summoner took in his surroundings with mild curiosity, this being his first time in the city since his recent pseudo-resurrection. While he had indeed been alive when the van had made its journey from the warehouse where they had conducted the spell to the docks that housed the ferry to Fortuna, he had been semiconscious and unable to take in his surroundings. Actually getting to see something for a once was a nice change of pace.

As he gazed almost sleepily out of the window, he couldn't help but think about how many things had changed since then. It felt like a lifetime ago. An almost surreal amount of information had been dumped on him at a staggering rate, and he was still reeling from the aftermath. Part of him was subconsciously hoping that talking to Magnolia today might help put him at ease on certain personal matters. He supposed that it was all par for the course to some degree. Everyone had insecurities and anxieties that kept them awake at night. But V was under the impression that those concerns didn't normally include a critical lack of knowledge about potential demonic powers and having to grapple with a parent that had literally been partially responsible for their untimely death. Everything in his life was just so… complicated.

Within a few minutes, they had arrived in Magnolia's neighborhood, the rows of pastel colored townhouses and quaint business still slumbering beneath the cover of the thick mist. The warm glow of the vintage street lamps and the gentle swaying of the trees that lined the roads was a strangely welcoming sight, despite the fact that the last time they had been here had been under very trying circumstances and an immense amount of time pressure. It would be nice to simply take things slow for a change and have a conversation that didn't center around dire straits.

Nico turned the corner and pulled to a stop as she yawned sleepily. It was beyond her how V managed to be so alert this early in the day, especially after putting up half of the books she'd found him the night before. Even Nero wasn't that good with waking up on short notice, and he took cat naps in between fights on a regular basis. Said devil had opted to stay in bed where he belonged and sit this brief trip out. The way he figured it, there was no need to go into town for anything at the moment. They would be leaving for the bay the next day as it was anyhow, so why wake up at the crack of dawn and go kick Dante's door (and possibly his skull in) for having a hand in arranging this extraordinary uncomfortable vacation. More like Angstcation.

"Well, this is it," Nico said as she hopped down from the driver's seat and walked into the interior of the van, half to check and see if V had managed to stay awake during their trip," She's runnin' some sorta shop outa her place, so I'd guess she's up by now."

Due to the fact that V hadn't experienced the mixed joy of riding the ferry before (which had been… uncomfortable for him, to say the least) he hadn't said very much since they'd left this morning aside from the odd thing here or there when Griffon or Shadow materialized and began to pester her while she was trying to focus on not crashing into a building. Both of them had come to the silent conclusion that Nero made these sorts of trips much less dull. But would they ever tell him that? Not in a million years. He'd never let them live it down, especially Nico. As a general rule, V got a "get out of crap free" card from his younger sibling due to his more somber and thoughtful personality. Nero was more wary of saying the wrong thing to him. But Nico? Nah, she was free game.

V pried himself off of the window, entertaining the idea of cracking his back for a moment before deciding that it was more than likely an awful idea and simply standing up to wait for Nico to go and get whatever he had agreed to deliver for her the night before. In a way, he was morbidly curious as to what she and Nero had gotten a hold of.

"I appreciate your help," he said as he stifled a weak yawn, rubbing his eyes with his left hand," Where will you go?"

"Hell if I know," She said as she returned and plopped a clear tupperware container full of dirt and plant matter in his now outstretched hands,"Just gimme a call when you're ready to go. The number hasn't changed. Honestly, nothing really has. Van is still a mess."

V's eyes traveled across the room in an involuntary attempt to assess his surroundings. He concurred. It seemed that he might end up sorting that out at some point if he reached peak boredom. With a small nod he exited the van through the side door and stepped down onto the wet cobblestone, internally cursing his lack of balance. While he didn't think he'd break anything if he fell, he didn't exactly enjoy doing it, either. And there was no way that he was going to call on Griffon to try and catch him in a residential area with this many homes. That was just asking for trouble with the recent cult scare.

No sooner had the door closed than Nico had launched backwards out of her makeshift parking spot and peeled off in the opposite direction, narrowly missing him in the process. He stood there, contemplating why he thought it was a good idea to take her up on her offer for a ride as she passed him by. The white haired summoner was literally never going to get used to her terrifying interpretation of what driving was supposed to mean. It was a wonder he made it anywhere alive with her behind the wheel. Why didn't anyone else ever try their hand at it? Did she even have a driver's license? That was a matter for another time.

With his companion gone, he turned his attention towards the front door to the townhouse. Much to his sarcastic delight, she had stairs. A lot of them. While Nero's home did as well, it was very rare that he had any reason to venture up them. And also, his weren't stone or nearly this steep. That was always an added bonus.

"Well, isn't it wonderful to see your face again, dear?! And you've bought me a gift as well? I'm quite flattered. Two lovely surprises today, then!"

V flushed slightly and cast his gaze up, catching sight of Magnolia. She was leaning out of her third story window. Or considering the fact that the business she was rumored to run seemed to be located slightly below ground, did that make that the second floor? Or was her shop in the basement and not the ground floor? Why did he suddenly care so very much about it? He was going to have to climb the same number of stairs regardless.

He gave her a singular and deliberate waive as he made his way up the stairs, more focused on not tumbling back down them or dropping the box he was carrying than with responding verbally. He'd have to make amends for that once he was inside. The distinct pitter patter of feet against wooden stairs could be heard from inside the house, leading V to note subconsciously that she was coming down stairs. Though he wasn't sure why she'd found the need to rush for his sake. She'd probably beat him there anyway.

The white haired young man's prediction proved correct when she opened the door just as he stepped in front of it, seemingly boundless flight of stairs now behind them both.

"I do hope you're quite well, then? I heard you came to the hospital to see how well off I was." She said as she stepped out of the way, seemingly taking note of the extra care he'd allocated towards safely ascending the stairs. While he didn't really walk up them any slower than most people with his stature (especially his legs. They were quite long.) he'd clearly taken the time to mind his foot placement and had actually taken the stairs one at a time instead of skipping over them in mutaples. "Please, come in. I was just about to have my morning tea. Perhaps you'd like to join me?"

"Likewise. I haven't heard anything about your condition since you've left," V said with a polite nod as he crossed the threshold into her home, noticing for the first time how much taller he was than her. It was slightly disconcerting," I hope I'm not imposing. My apologies for coming on such short notice. That sounds nice."

Magnolia ushered him towards the living room with a pleasant smile as she took the container from him and sat it down on the coffee table, giving it a curious once over in the process. "Oh, think nothing of it, dear! I adore impromptu visits." She stepped into the kitchen and turned her back to him for a moment, fussing over a tea tray as she carried on," In fact, that's how I met your father. At this point, I'm quite certain that's his only method of dropping by for a visit. He's not exactly a social creature. Seems to run in the family."

Somehow that didn't surprise him. It wasn't too different from how he'd first encountered Vergil himself. And the sudden realisation that an aversion to social interaction was something they both shared was uncomfortable to him. V had noticed a lifetime ago that Vergil wasn't the most talkative person alive, but having someone that he was almost certain had known him longer than he had been alive made a conscious note of this made it stick in his mind like an insect in an especially sticky trap. He wasn't sure how to take being compared to his father. It made him question himself. How deep did their similarities run? Was being the level headed but internally tumultuous older sibling a curse of some sort that flowed within his very blood? After all, it was something else they shared in common.

The botanist stepped through the doorway that led into the living room and slipped between the set of armchairs, making a note of his studious silence as she sat the tray down and made herself comfortable. There was a certain presence in the room now that hadn't been there a moment ago when she'd left, and it held a weight that could almost be physically felt. If it were possible for a thought to suffocate someone, she'd be willing to believe that this one was capable of doing just that. But she wasn't concerned so much as she was curious. Her young companion had been perfectly fine mere moments ago. What had changed that? Did bringing up Vergil have that kind of effect on him? She had never considered the kind of relationship they shared before.

"...You think I'm like my father, don't you?" 

Although spoken under the guise of an inquiry, they both knew the answer to that question. A heavy silence fell over the small room, making the meager space between them feel like miles. It was Magnolia's turn to be studious and roam the halls of her mind palace in search of the answers that eluded her; to form the words and phrases that could vocally manifest the wisdom she intended to impart upon her tea guest. But what could she say about something she had no part in the history of?

Dark brown waives with flakes of grey in them cascaded over her shoulder as she leaned forward, carefully considering her words. Clearly she had tripped head first into a very touchy subject for her new aquanence. While suffering from an existential crisis shortly after being reclaimed from the waiting room of the afterlife made perfect practical sense to her, she felt the need to try and offer something of worth to this discussion.

"Dear… It isn't so much a question of if you're like your father, as it is a question of what part of him you like. What kind of person do you see him as?" Magnolia was tempted to take his hands into her own for a moment as he seemed to be diverting his subconscious attention to them in an effort to escape this topic, shifting slightly in his seat and carefully concealing his true feelings from the world around him," Everyone has a little bit of someone within them that they would otherwise happily choose to do without. No matter how irredeemable or imperfect that person was, they left a lasting impact of some sort. Most of the time that's an open wound instead of a scar. And unfortunately, a lot of the time that person is one of our parents, the very people closest to us. But the part of them that left the impression and what we choose to do with it is what's important above all else. You don't have to become them."

V took a long moment to consider her wisdom, trying to find the part of his mind that could properly process what she had just said. While he understood exactly what she had just said, he wasn't sure he was currently able to apply her advice to the matter at hand. He needed to understand where he stood first before attempting to dive head first into the deep end of these sorts of issues. But she had gotten to the root of the matter alarmingly quick. V didn't really know what to say to that. While he knew he couldn't avoid this topic for his entire life, a part of him wished that he could.

Magnolia leaned over a little further, carefully brushing the back of her hand against V's forearm. She knew simply by looking at him that grabbing onto him probably would have an opposite and undesired effect that counteracted the one she was trying to achieve. She took a second to consider the best way of phrasing what she wanted to say. 

"There are people who exist in this world for the sole purpose of taking up space and possess no redeemable qualities. They should be avoided at all costs. I don't see Vergil falling under that category." The almost casual tone she spoke in took V slightly by surprise considering the subject matter and severity of what they were discussing. This was a fact, as far as she was concerned. V could see that. And he didn't necessarily disagree with her.

"How did you come to that conclusion?" V said quietly, wondering for a moment if they were thinking the very same thing. He was torn as to which way he wanted her response to go, despite the fact that nothing about his demeanor or facial expression betrayed this. At times, he was forced to acknowledge the fact that he was woefully good at containing his thoughts and emotions.

"It's quite simple. Those people don't try to accomplish anything worthwhile, only thinking of themselves. The closest thing to meaningful growth they will ever experience is the bottomless emptiness they feel every time they work towards furthering their own goals and succeed, but in doing so fail yet again because it was all a facade. It brought them nothing of value," She took a moment to pour them both a cup of tea from the pot that sat on the tray, dropping a sugar cube into her own cup and string," Vergil is certainly trying to achieve a goal. He always has been. I think that goal has changed recently. But the difference is that this time it depends on factors completely out of his control, and he is slowly coming to grips with the terrifying reality that there is nothing he can do about that. And yet the fact that he continues to push forward shows how far he's come in that regard. But you didn't come here to get philosophical, did you? You've already come to this conclusion yourself. That's why you're so conflicted, isn't it Dear?"

V nodded slowly, more to himself than to Magnolia. Yes. She was right about that. In some way he felt that he owed both of them the chance to at least try and understand one another. And yet a part of him was... exhausted by the very thought of how much energy he'd have to invest into something that he wasn't sure he could handle. Emotionally and mentally, he'd be gambling with odds he could see beforehand, and the thought of an unfavorable outcome was as crushingly heavy as the weight of an ocean. Avoiding it was simultaneously the easiest and hardest thing he could do about his current situation. There was no painless way to solve this.

"I find that it tends to help distract someone from their own toxic thoughts when I implant new ones." Magnolia said with a humorous tent to her voice, giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder," Get out of your head, Dear. Let's discuss your well being and abilities. That is why you're here, is it not?"

V smirked slightly, letting slip a singular chuckle. Yes, he did like talking to Magnolia, didn't he? There was something profound about how much she seemed to understand while knowing just what to say. It was strangely comforting how she seemed to be able to peel back the layers of whoever she was talking to and get right to the heart of the matter. It was admirable, if not a little disconcerting.

He gestured towards the tray in front of them, wordlessly asking if he could fix his drink now. Magnolia nodded, an almost sarcastic look crossing her face as a loud beep sounded from the next room. She glanced over towards the kitchen, a smile spreading across her face. V gave her a curious look as she grinned like the Cheshire cat, a devious but well-meaning (hopefully) giddiness overtaking her. "... Do you happen to like tiramisu by any chance?"

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah another late night finished! Be sure to check back in on Friday for part two! I'll be starting it tonight after an early morning siesta! But at least I didn't work straight through my morning alarm for once! I hope you enjoyed this first interaction between V and Magnolia! There is more to come, so I'd love to see what you think of things between them so far. This was super fun to write! Look forward to reading your feedback soon and I can't wait to see you all again on Friday! Take care out there!


	7. Chapter Seven: Encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Today's chapter is going to be a little shorter because 1) I'm tired and busy doing things with my family 2) I'm planning the beach arc (lol) and 3) because it's an intermission chapter. Things are going to really kick off after the beach arc. I'm having a blast working on the new parts of the story, so stay tuned for more to come in the future!

Chapter Seven: Encounter

(-~-)

Capulet was far from a 24/7 city, the metropolis somehow managing to maintain a quiet village-like appeal despite being very populous. It had it's rougher areas that most well meaning people didn't venture into such as the docks and the factory district, and no self respecting citizen would be caught dead (or alive) near the street that the Devil May Cry office called home, but it was still a relatively peaceful place when demons weren't wandering up the streets in search of human blood. 

Despite this, or perhaps as a direct result of it, most places didn't stay open exceedingly late due to the suspicious activities that tended to occur at night that they could now confidently confirm was demonic in nature. People spoke in hushed tones about the shadows they jumped at in the dark as if speaking too loud would seal their citie's fate and it would instantaneously become the next Redgrave City. It was no secret that everyone in the region feared another large scale demon attack. After all, there had been three in the last two decades, four if they counted the Savior incident in Fortuna. Thankfully, the general public on the mainland didn't know much about what had happened that day, but there was one thing they did know. 

Each attack was worse than the last. 

And they were becoming more frequent.

In spite of it all, the bay area was still vibrant and full of life. They were cautious, but they refused to let the constant terror they lived in keep them down. There just wasn't as much of a nightlife scene as some would like. But things really came alive during the day. And this morning was no different. Certain places were a mecca of activity and the small coffee shop that Nico had just pulled up in front of was most certainly one of them. Even from inside of the van, the young gunsmith could see that there were at least a dozen people inside of the shop, although only a few were actually in line. Most were sitting at a table enjoying their meals and beverages or capitalizing on the free wifi. And she was here to join them. In all honesty, she couldn't remember the last time she had gone to a coffee shop. She didn't even really drink it that often at Nero's place. Kyrie was more of a tea person, so she tended to drink whatever they had on hand if she drank anything at all. For the first time in while, she was just going to relax and enjoy a hot drink in peace. 

Nico hopped down from her seat and closed the van door, turning her attention to the front entrance of the shop. The mist had transformed into actual rain, and she wasn't keen on being soaked all the way down to her underwear. As she hurried over towards the door, she made a mental note to acquire an umbrella and toss it into the back of the van at her earliest convenience. 

She slipped in behind someone who was exiting the building, ducking stealthiy behind them as they headed towards their car. As soon as the door closed and she turned towards the counter, a wave of warm, pleasant smelling air hit her. It was a combination of different coffees and a few baked treats that they kept behind the counter, cinnamon and spices hitting her square in the tastebuds. She was now woefully hungry and it showed. As she repressed the urge to allow a puddle of drool to form at her feet, she migrated over towards the line. There was only one person in front of her, which meant that she was in the express lane to receive a tasty treat. But how to pick one? bagels, cakes, cookies, crosaunts… it all looked delectable, and every moment she didn't have one sitting on a plate in front of her felt like an eternity of unfair punishment bestowed upon her by an angry god. She needed to correct that immediately.

"Ma'am, would you like to place an order?"

Nico glanced up at the barista and nodded in affirmation, somewhat distracted by the number of choices presented to her. At this juncture, she would settle for any regular coffee. But she was going to have a hard time picking one of these tasty desserts. The young smiled politely, seemingly amused by her lack of ability to pick.

"If I might interject, that blueberry pomegranate cheese danish is one of my favorites. I get it everytime I come here." A voice behind her said quietly. The deeper timbre was distinctly male in origin, and there was a certain melodious, almost somber, tint to their voice. They spoke as though they were putting a great amount of consideration or effort into something very minor, and she couldn't help but notice. This was mostly due to the fact that they were looming over her, although not standing overly close.

Before she could turn to face the individual in question, they stood up and faced the counter, handing the cashier an undisclosed amount of money before receiving a knowing look from the young woman running the register and reaching for a to go bag that was being handed to them from behind the counter. "One of these days you have to try something else on the menu! Seriously, you come in here like clockwork and always get the same thing. Doesn't that get old?"

"I enjoy the unpredictability of predictability," the hooded man said flatly, waiving off her attempt to pass him back his change and sparing a glance at Nico as she looked at him curiously," Please, keep the change. The young woman's order is on me. Thank you."

The young woman looked almost horrified, signaling to Nico that he had more than likely given her a sizable sum of money. The dark haired woman turned to confront him, taken totally off guard by his random act of generosity. "Um, thanks but I've got it covered. You don't gotta do that."

He nodded, turning towards the door with his order. He still hadn't taken the change. "Oh, I'm well aware of that. But I chose to. After I leave, you can choose to accept my offer or not. But why not benefit from the kindness of a stranger? It's not every day that I do something like this."

Before Nico could say anything further, the taller man slipped out of the front door, leaving her to make her decision. She considered going after him for a moment before going with her gut and staying put. Something told her that he was already long gone. She didn't even need to go over to the door and look. Nico spent enough time around abnormal people to be able to tell that sort of thing.

With a sigh, she shook her head briefly and then turned her attention back towards the counter. He made a valid point. Why turn down free food? "You know what? Sure, whatever! I'll take whatever that guy that just left had. For here, though. I'm not going back out there for a while. It's warm in here."

(-~-)

Magnolia jotted down a final set of notes before closing the notepad that she held in her hands and setting it down on the table in front of her, taking the opportunity to eat a fork full of tiramisu. She spared a glance towards V who was quietly doing the same. They were only mid way through their conversation, but she felt that she understood him leagues better than she had before he had arrived. While he had presented himself as a sort of closed book type at first, she was gradually realizing that he actually had quite a bit of rich internal dialogue that was just beneath the surface, ready to be shared if given the opportunity. He answered when spoken to and never gave her a hard time about any of the questions she'd asked him, most being cursory medical questions. But she felt it was time to change the subject. The last thing she wanted was for this visit to turn into something clinical and strenuous. While much of what he'd told her had been intriguing and she'd have to look into it after he left, she didn't want to overwhelm him. After all, he had to leave here with the desire to return at a later date.

"So, enough of that, then. Tell me a little bit more about yourself," She said as she reached for her glass of tea. She needed to wash down her snack." Do you have any hobbies or passions? Anything pique your interest at all? You seem like the intellectual sort, after all."

V shifted slightly, his prolonged sitting session starting to take a toll on his uncooperative back. "Not anymore. At least not of late."

The botanist gave him a curious look, sitting back in her seat and folding her arms. "What did you used to do? You can't expect me to believe that you don't possess any sort of talent at all, now can you?"

An almost impresevable smile slowly snuck it's way across V's face for a brief moment as he tilted his head to the side, the young summoner reminiscing on one of the few pleasant memories he had clung to all this time. "... I used to be instrumentally inclined when I was younger. At one point…" V trailed off for a second, seemingly second guessing his decision to share this sort of information with her,"... Are you going to-"

Magnolia shook her head, already knowing what he was probably going to say. She gave him a playful shove, not so much trying to push him as she was trying playing with him. "Oh, hush now. You're not that old! Nothing you say leaves this house. We've all done silly things in our youth. Nothing to fear, dear."

V slumped slightly as he glanced in the opposite direction. He looked almost embarrassed. He glanced at her for a moment before breaking eye contact again. prefering to stare out of the open window just to the side of her. "I played the violin for a long time and wrote poetry. For a while I restored books as a hobby and..." He glanced down, very clearly flushing slightly as he tried to force himself to say whatever was on his mind,"... I was talked into dance lessons for a year or so by someone I knew at the time. I'm told I was… decent..."

The middle aged alchemist nearly choked on her tea as V let slip his secret shame, repressing the urge to giggle imaturely and go wide eyed. He was quite the multi talented young man, wasn't he? The idea of him dancing was supremely entertaining to her and she made a mental note to try and talk him into giving her a demo sometime in the near future. 

"I take back everything I said. You are old," She said with a pleasant laugh, nodding in approval," If I might, I'd like to pass your contact information along to a colleague. Book restoration is actually quite the useful skill in my trade. I know some people who would pay quite the hefty sum for your assistance."

He considered her offer for a moment before nodding. Yes, that seemed agreeable enough to him. "I can't make any promises. It's been some time since I've worked on anything."

Magnolia smiled, picking up her notepad again and flipping it open to jot down a few notes. This had been an eye opening conversation. "I wouldn't expect you to, dear," She said simply as she scribbled something down on her notepad," But I'd absolutely love to hear you play the violin sometime. I bet you're quite good at it."

V pales, the flush in his cheeks fleeing him like courage in the mists of battle. "Again, I make no promises…"

She stood up and walked towards the kitchen, intent on grabbing something else before they continued. She gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder before proceeding, hoping to calm his nerves. Although he seemed calm and collected, it didn't take a genius to see that he was flustered. "Just keep being you, dear. That's all I ask of you."

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for checking out this chapter! The beach trip is nearly upon us, and I can't wait to hear from you all again! Have fun and stay safe!


	8. Chapter Eight: Unoccupancy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Logging onto A03 and seeing so many comments in my inbox brought me such joy. Thank you all so much for reaching out every week and talking about the story with me. It's always the highlight of my week, especially since my job still isn't really open again yet. Having something fun to look forward to every week is great. Truly. Thank you!

Chapter Eight: Unoccupancy

(-~-)

It seemed as though the very air held its breath as they approached, a gentle but damp breeze shifting the leaves in the trees that lined the street as a coating of misty rain drenched the outside of the buildings. Trails formed by droplets of water ran down the windows of every building on the block, staining the glass and trickling down onto their attached ledges before finally plummeting towards the pavement below. Decades old yet well maintained gutters helped transfer any water that dared make its way onto the roofs of the homes to its proper place in the city's storm drains. This was the historic district of town and everything from the ornate metal benches that dotted the block, to the vintage street lights and tree planters reflected that. Every row house was slightly different from the next and it was somewhat impressive how well kept the area was, not to mention how quiet it was considering its proximity to downtown. 

And that was the matter that brought them to the front steps of the building standing before them. It was a three story Edwardian townhouse clad in dark grey brick with white stone trim around the windows. Due to it's placement on the very end of the block, it was almost twice the size of each of the nearby homes, since it wrapped around the block and faced the corner on both sides. The outside of the spacious home was just as well kept as the rest on the block, aside from the now empty planter boxes on each the windows that had more than likely once housed purple flowers if their remnants were anything to go by. They were small and white, seemingly metal and held by ornate holders made from black iron. Black stone stairs with grey tops and a black metal rail that matched the window boxes tied the building together beautifully. The thick green leaves that snaked around the house in healthy vines draped down over the ornate dark purple front door, lending the house an age that it's condition didn't show. All and all, a stately and sizable dwelling.

V looked up at the imposing but beautiful structure, totally awestruck by it. While every building on this street shared a similar monochrome color pallet, this was the only one with a colored door or matching dark purple dragon scale shingles. There were little things about it that made it stand out in his mind, and he couldn't help but appreciate the aesthetic. To say that it didn't appeal to his darker sensibilities would be a lie. he considered this for a moment before noticing that Magnolia has started to make her way up the flared stone steps, the window wells on either side forming a sort moat to the front entrance that made the stairs seem even more grand. It was like crossing a bridge, and he was somewhat surprised that a house this tall possessed a basement at all. Was there an attic as well?

"Well, this is it, Dear," Magnolia said as she inserted a key into the lock," Sorry for the mess. No one has lived here in a very long time."

As he crossed the threshold and stepped into the house, V did an internal double take at the sight that unfolded before him. They were standing in a foyer with tall arched doorways on either side of them. A rounded spiral stairway curved up to the second story gracefully, belying an abundance of space just out of sight. A balcony looked down from above them, but nothing else could be seen from where he currently stood. The room was large for a townhouse, but not oversized. As they stepped in the room to the left, the two of them were greeted by a large corner bay window on the far side of the room that sat in the middle of where the street corner would be from outside. The fireplace to the left of the bay window seemed as though it had not been used in a considerable time, much like Magnolia had indicated when they'd arrived moments ago. A few pieces of furniture sat in scattered parts of the room covered by cloth tarps in an attempt to keep out the elements. Besides that, he couldn't glean much more about their condition without uncovering them.

Magnolia walked over to the window and pulled open the tall curtains that adorned the walls. The ceiling height in the room had to be close to fifteen feet, and that coupled with the position of the window made for a blinding amount of natural light despite the rainy conditions outside. Medium grey wall paint was paired with a white trim that somehow made the room seem even larger than it already was. V could only guess how large the rest of the residence was. The young summoner was rapidly coming to the conclusion that magnolia might be secretly wealthy.

"I'd offer you a place to sit, by my siblings took all the best furniture when my parents passed away," She gestured to the room around her, somewhat downtrodden as her normally chipper voice took on a slightly somber tint," I want to show you something in the back of the house. Care to follow me this way?

V followed after he with a diligent nod, still taking in his surroundings. Her parents had lived here then? What had they done when they were alive to amass the kind of wealth required to possess such a stately property? The two cut through the kitchen that sat in the back of the house. There were no appliances, but everything else was still intact. At most, the room seemed to just need a good dusting and maybe a new coat of paint due to its apparent age.

When they reached the far side of the kitchen, they entered what had probably been some sort of combination mudroom and laundry room before going through a door that led to the outside of the townhouse. V hadn't considered the possibility of a yard while touring the residence with her. He'd been too preoccupied with the rest of the house. While it wasn't huge, the remnants of what had once been a garden grew up the far wall next to another door. This one, unlike the front door, was black and wan't arched despite sharing a similar design overall.

"That's the garage I parked in when we arrived. We walked around the front," She stated, noticing that his attention had been drawn there," My little sister and I used to spend hours out here as teenagers. She doesn't come around anymore. Too busy with family affairs to bother actually interacting with her family. I hardly recognize the lass anymore."

V couldn't help but notice that she seemed more sad about that little revelation that she did upset. Had that happened a long time ago? Or had she just lost the motivation to be upset about it anymore? He wasn't going to ask her either way. It wasn't his place to bring up something like that. If she wanted him to know more, she'd tell him. That much he knew from personal experience with his own inner thoughts and struggles.

"... I'm sorry to hear about your parents, Magnolia." V said quietly. The last thing he intended to do was be impolite," You grew up here?"

A somber smile crossed her face as she shook her head. "No, we only lived here together for about two years. Maybe even a little less. I inherited the place after they passed away. They were asleep when the lodge they were staying at during a vacation caught fire," She fell silent for a moment, seemingly needing a second to collect herself before continuing," My two younger sisters and I went to stay with an aunt shortly after, so no one has set foot in this place for at least a decade. This entire block had just been built around the time you were born, I suspect. It's a pity, but no one in our family wants to live here. We lack an emotional attachment to the place. Everything that meant something to us we took out a lifetime ago. If I let my youngest sister have her way, she'd probably have it torn down or something just so she didn't have to think about it."

For a moment, V recalled the furniture that had been covered up and left to sit in the main room. While the concept of a family home was something foreign to him, he understood the concept and was more than capable of comprehending how someone might become emotionally attached or detached to a building. Still, it was a strange thing to him to imagine holding contempt towards a house that nothing bad had happened in. He assumed that her reasons were her own and decided to leave it at that for the time being. There were other matters to attend to. "What motivated you to bring me here if you haven't been here in so long?"

Magnolia's eyes brightened slightly as a small smile spread across her face. She looked out across the yard in silent contemplation for a moment before returning her attention to him, folding her arms around herself in an attempt to keep the warmth inside of her peacoat. "... I met your father shortly before they passed away. We were both young and I was focused on my studies, but watching my sisters terrorize him was always such a hoot! In his own way, I think he liked being here. Vergil never said as much, but he kept coming over until we stopped living here. And although they didn't interact with him much since they were rarely here, I think my parents saw him as the son they never had." She paused for a second, thinking of how she wanted to phrase what she said next," I thought that perhaps if this place wasn't meant to stay in my family, that it was only right that it become a part of yours."

V gave her a curious look, not quite comprehending what she was trying to tell him. Had she offered to sell it to Vergil since he'd known her parents? Why had she brought him here to tell him about it other than to show him around? Did she assume that he and Vergil were going to be living together at some point in the future?

"That's very kind, but I don't think I quite follow you." V said almost sheepishly. He suddenly had an irrational fear of upsetting her in her deceased parents home that he hadn't possessed before she'd tried to explain her intentions to him." What are you trying to tell me?"

Magnolia laughed slightly, seeming to pick up on his discomfort. "Sorry V, I'll be a little more straight forward this time. Were you considering moving in the near future? I feel that I may have not been entirely forthcoming as to my motivations," She shifted slightly, seeming to share his trepidations but not for the same reasons," I think that we could both use a fresh start. To know that my parents legacy of philanthropy lived on through gifting this property to you would bring me… release. That is the best way I can put it into words, dear. All I'm asking is that you consider it. It's been paid off for years, so you'd only have to worry about taxes, and they aren't much. Estate tax and all that. A truly broken system, really."

V paled at her words, suddenly feeling the blood rush to his face. Had she really just offered him this place? He was positive at no one had ever tried to give him a gift this expensive or personal in his entire life. It was unheard of and he was struck silent trying to comprehend the proper reaction and response to it. Sensing his distress, Griffon materialized and fluttered around the small outdoor space, coming to a stop on his shoulder. He shook his head, failing the urge to repress his snickering.

"Sorry, but I think you broke his brain a little. If I'm being honest, It's not really that hard to do. Nice to meet cha!" The mouthy bird made himself comfortable as V's brain tried to unlock itself.

"Ah, an avian familiar then," Magnolia said, unfolding her arms and nodding to herself," How lovely! I like your style. Might I pet you, little one? I simply adore your coloration!"

Griffon fluffed himself, ducking his head down and pulling his wings up. He wasn't expecting to be doted over. "Watch the feathers, and your fine," Griffon said, trying to hide is mild embarrassment by tucking his head under his wing," You could learn a thing or two from her, V. You know, show your appreciation a little more from time to time."

V shot his feathered companion an unappreciative look, his brow furrowing. "Perhaps Shadow is hungry. Why don't we check?"

The vibrant blue bird fluttered away with a squawk, landing on a half wall near the garage. Shadow surged forward, scampering after her feathered companion. She intended to capitalize on the open space and privacy that the yard afforded her. Magnolia glanced over at the demonic panther, seemingly impressed. "That's quite a powerful demon to have in your repertoire. They are not normally so obedient. I heard you used to have three different familiars?"

The young summoner nodded, his thoughts now less foggy than they had been. Having a moment to process her generosity had been beneficial to him. "That's correct. I currently have two now, however." He took a moment to think about the proper way to express what he wanted to say before speaking,"... I will have to take some time to think about your offer, Magnolia. I hope I don't seem ungrateful."

She shook her head. "I wouldn't expect you to give me an answer right away. This is a lot to take in, dear. Please don't feel forced to say yes just because I asked. Get back to me when you're ready," She said with a warm smile as she headed over towards the inside door," That being said, I should show you the rest of the house. Nico is probably wondering where we disappeared to right about now. But I'm guessing that you're going to want to see what's left of the library before we leave."

V craned his head to one side as he followed after her, his familiars following after him as he headed inside. "... Did you say there was a library?"

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quarantine has officially ruined my sleeping patterns. One day I wake up at 5 am and the next at 8 pm. Sometimes (like today) I wake up at 10 am and decide I can stand to get a few more minutes of sleep and wake up AT MIDNIGHT. And that is why my uploads are so wishy washy in terms of upload time. Sorry about that. I hope you all enjoyed this little intermission chapter. Next week is the start of the "beach arc" so get ready for that! It's gonna be super fun!


	9. Chapter Nine: Preparations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Thanks for all your wonderful comments! I got this one done a day early, so I'm feeling pretty good about that! Hope you're all having a good week! This was a fun chapter to write!

Chapter Nine: Preparations 

(-~-)

A soft sigh escaped Nico's lips as she folded her arms and stared at the note on the door in front of her. They weren't here right now. While it made perfect sense that they would only be gone for a short while, and as such, had no reason to call and alert her of their absence, she still couldn't help but wonder why the note was so exceptionally vague.

"Gone to Zephyr Street. Making an effort to not run too long. -Magnolia"

The young mechanic shook her head and plucked the note from the door, turning towards the top of the stairs. Waiting for them to return wasn't much of a problem, but perhaps heading over to meet them would be a better use of her time. That was what she was going to tell herself anyway. Normally she'd just take a quick nap in the van and wait for them to return, but all the sugar and caffeine she'd indulged in a little more than an hour ago had made swift work of any semblance of tiredness she'd formerly possessed. Now boredom had set and she was ready to do something more productive with her time, even if it probably was a waste of gas.

Nico descended the stairs and headed over to the van. She'd parked it diagonally across two different parking spots, an action that would have surely awarded her a parking citation if anyone had been around to see it. Luckily she had only left the car like this for a split second, so it wouldn't be an issue. The dark haired woman clambered into the driver's seat and put the car in reverse, heading towards the main road. Now it was time to figure out where Zephyr Street was. Where had that map gone off too?

(-~-)

With the front door to the manor locked, Magnolia took the opportunity to open her umbrella. The rain had picked up while they were inside of the house looking around, and neither of them were keen on being soaked through. A chilly breeze blew past them, eliciting shivers from Magnolia as she tiptoed to try and hold the umbrella over them both. V smirked, mildly entertained by her attempt to keep him dry.

"I could hold that for you, if you'd like." V said as he ducked under the umbrella. He honestly didn't really care about being wet, but Magnolia's attempt to help him was so earnest and kind hearted that he didn't feel right elaborating on that fact. He would just play along until they reached the car at the back of the house. After all, it wasn't that far.

Magnolia shrugged and handed him the purple umbrella, chuckling to herself. "Literally everyone in your family makes me feel incredibly short. I wish I had whatever gene runs in your family that makes you all so tall."

V shrugged, unsure of what to say to that. While he had to admit that he was quite tall, he'd never seen it as much of an advantage. If anything, it had been a social ankle weight. He'd always been tall for his age, and that coupled with his unique hair color had made him stand out in the worst way possible to other people around him. It was something that still caused him problems on occasion, but he'd learned to adjust to it. After all, there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't exactly wish himself shorter, now could he? And he probably wouldn't even if he could. He was used to it now, after all, and he had no intention of changing anything about himself to please others. It did nothing for him.

"Were you invited to this beach trip everyone is going on about?" V asked as they headed down the stairs, being careful to not slip on the stone," From what I've heard, there will be quite a few of us. I've been told we leave tomorrow morning."

Magnolia blinked blankly, her large grayish blue eyes showing no indication that she knew what he was talking about. The lack of recognition in her face was almost jarring, and V knew immediately that he didn't need her to answer that question anymore. How could she go to something she didn't know about?

"I had no idea you lot were planning to leave town," Magnolia said they headed towards the corner, the wind picking up and nearly turning the large umbrella inside out," this trip was someone's brainchild. Any idea as to who?"

V shrugged again, searching his memory for any relevant information. "I… don't actually know the answer to that question," He said after a moment, genuinely unsure as to who's idea this had been," Nero and I were invited by our father, and I'm relatively sure he didn't plan this outing. It doesn't seem like something he would do."

She shrugged as the two of them continued up the sidewalk, V wrestling with the umbrella more and more with every step they took. Magnolia had to take three steps for every one he took, making her pace much more brisk than his despite the relaxed stride he'd taken on. 

"You're quite right, it doesn't. But I'm still going to skin him alive the next time I see him for not inviting me," She spoke in a manner so blase that V wasn't entirely sure if she was being sarcastic or not," Does that mean that I would have said yes? Probably not. But still, it's that thought that counts."

The young summoner chuckled under his breath slightly, once again amused by her wiley personality. He could only imagine what she and her sisters had done to Vergil during their youth. 

"I couldn't agree more. Lessons must be learned." V responded, nodding in approval.

Magnolia cackled hysterically, giving him a playful but gently poke in the side followed up immediately by a punch in the shoulder. V buckled, taken totally by surprise. He wasn't accustomed to being toyed with in such a manner. He shot her a surprised look as he fumbled with the umbrella, accidentally knocking her upside the head and splashing cold water all over her. She shrieked, still laughing as his cheeks flushed bright pink.

"It's good to see that you do have a sense of humor!" She said with a bright smile, shivering from the cold rain," Let's get back before this storm-"

Before she could continue her statement, a loud screech could be heard from a few blocks around the corner. Within seconds, the van came rocketing around the corner of the building on it's side and skidded to a halt. The van slammed upright on all four of it's tires as Magnolia and V stared at it, startled.

"There you are! I thought I was lost for a while there!" Nico said as she rolled down the window, waving at them," Were ya ready to head back?"

V glanced over at Magnolia and she nodded, waving back at Nico. "You two go on ahead. I need to be getting back to my shop soon. I have some customers to meet with today. it was good to see you both again! Drop by after your trip and I'll make you both dinner!"

Nico nodded excitedly as V gave a single waive over his shoulder towards Magnolia. "Farewell. I'll think on your offer and meet with you when I return."

She nodded and grabbed her umbrella before jogging towards the opposite end of the street. V clambered into the van and closed the door with a final glance in her direction before settling into the passenger seat and closing his eyes. He had a lot to think on.

"Hello, Nico."

(-~-)

Blinding light shined through the floor to ceiling windows as the hanging fans spun lazily, barely circulating any meaningful air. The office was unusually quiet. No music played and all the lights were out since the window provided ample light, even with the stormy weather outside. Dante yawned and stretched as she descended the stairs, still in the process of waking up from his restful slumber. Considering the fact that they would be waking up across from the seafront this time tomorrow, he was trying to capitalize on the peace and quiet while he still could. The twins would more than likely be splitting a hotel room for a day or two. Part of him didn't expect to survive such an experience.

As he approached the middle of the staircase, he glanced over towards the couch that sat directly adjacent to his desk and stopped. Vergil had supposedly woken up in the middle of the night and made his way into the living room. That didn't really surprise him. What did was the fact that he was laying on the couch asleep with an all too familiar book spread out in front of him.

In the just under two weeks that they had been living together, the youngest Son of Sparda had come to realize that Vergil didn't really sleep very much. Aside from the day long nap that he had taken just after arriving, he was almost always awake and on alert. But in the last few days, he had been slowly easing into domestic cohabitation. Despite the fact that he seemed to be physically incapable of relaxing and didn't really have anything interesting to do with his abundance of spare time, Vergil hadn't stabbed anyone to death yet. 

Morrison had instructed Dante to contact him when they returned from their trip, and he intended to do so. From what he could tell, this job was going to be big and maybe dragging Vergil along would give them both the opportunity to blow off some steam. It was worth a shot, at least. Better that than to let him stay at the office with the girls. Someone wouldn't make it out of that equation alive. Of that he was certain.

He walked past him and stole a glance in his direction. The only time he seemed to be totally at peace were the brief intervals of rest he indulged in from time to time. The rest of the time he was either reading from that book or seemingly thinking. About what, Dante couldn't say, but keeping him out of his head for extended periods of time seemed like a good idea considering his past track record. While he was making a concerted effort to not go back down that road, the youngest of the twins knew that it was still a possibility if he were pushed far enough. A faint possibility, but still one that existed. Actual meaningful change took a long time, and Vergil was making small but important steps. He needed to be realigned from time to time.

Just as he approached the desk, the phone suddenly roared to life, ringing relentlessly. He groaned and grabbed the phone off of the receiver, holding it up to his ear. Before he could say a single word, a voice on the other end chimed in.

"Omigosh! I can't wait for this trip tomorrow! I already have my bags packed and everything! I'm gonna take so many cute pictures and show all my friends when we get back and eat a bunch of good food and buy so many souvenirs! It's gonna be AMAZING! I know you have to be excited, too! Right Dante? Are you even listening?! So help me, Dante, I swear if you hang up on me I'm gonna hit you so hard in the head Morrison is going to have to have to fix you like he does everything else around your office!"

Dante blinked, shaking his head as if to kickstart his mental process. Despite the abundance of demonic blood flowing through his brains, his brain didn't work any better than an average human upon waking up. In fact, at times it seemed to work even slower. He sighed and rubbed his face with his free hand, leaning back against the desk as he stretched his shoulders and neck in an attempt to loosen up. Upon sparing a glance at the nearest clock, he came to the conclusion that it was just a little past nine in the mourning. As far as he was concerned, if it was too early for his older twin than it was too early for him.

"... Hey Patty. Just woke up. You're gonna have to save all of that for the train ride," Dante said with a yawn, rubbing the back of his neck," It's too early for me to understand anything you just said. Talk to you later. Gotta keep the line open, ya know?"

She groaned and let out an exasperated sigh. Dante could practically see her folding her arms grumpily before she responded. "Ok then! I'll meet you at the train station with the others at four o'clock sharp. Don't be late, you lazy butt! later!"

With that she hung up the phone, beating Dante to the chase as she did so. He stared at the phone blankly for a moment before shaking his head and tossing the phone back onto the receiver. He then flopped back into his seat and put his feet up. Was it too early to order pizza? Somewhere half decent had to be open, didn't it?

"Ug, four o'clock in the mourning? Why did Morrison and the girls have to book those tickets so early?" He said under his breath as he reached for a magazine. Had he read all of them a million times over? Yes. Was he going out in the rain to procure new reading material? Absolutely not. He didn't care if he could get away with using Cavaliere on a public street or not. He wasn't going anywhere.

"... Is she always that energetic?"

Dante's head darted over in the direction of the couch, not so much startled as he was surprised. It made sense that Vergil had woken up in response to all the noise the ringing phone and subsequent conversation had made, but he hadn't noticed him sit up and resume reading his book. The eldest Son of Sparda sat with his legs crossed in a reclining position, indulging in another section of his already well read book. A part of Dante made him wonder what it was with their family and rereading the same goddamn books over and over. Why didn't they ever pick up anything new?

"Basically. She's actually calmed down a lot since she was a kid. At least she hits me with less cleaning supplies now." Dante said with an incredulous look, his eyes traveling over to the phone again. Patty had always been Vibrant, both in her manner of dress and her overabundance of energy. While it was true that he found it exhausting, he'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy that aspect of her personality. She was such a stark contrast to the other ladies in his life and she always brought something new and exciting for them to enjoy.

Vergil raised an eyebrow but didn't look away from his book. "What, did she beat you over the head with a mop or something?"

Dante half laughed. "I wish you were wrong, but yea. All the time. Said I was lazy and that she wasn't my cleaning lady. That I "was a grown adult and needed to clean up after myself." Feistiest kid I've ever met besides Nero."

To Dante's surprise, Vergil let out a sound somewhat similar to a scoff cracking a momentary smirk as he turned the page of the book. "I don't see a flaw in her logic. She makes a valid point, aside from the notion that you were ever an adult, that is.

Dante shot him a dirty look, shaking his head. "Sure, take her side." Vergil said nothing, simply continuing to read his book quietly. A smug look lingered on his face for a short while before dissipating as he focused more intently on his current source of literary interest.

Content that someplace that delivered had to be open by now, Dante reached towards the phone, intent on ordering himself something to eat. Just before his fingers could make contact with the phone, Vergil let out a discontent sigh.

"You don't know how to cook, do you?" He said, closing his eyes and shaking his head slowly," Am I going to have to start making actual food for us to eat?"

Dante shrugged and picked up the phone, going through a mental list in his head. Vergil closed his book and placed it on the couch before standing up and heading towards the kitchen. Dante wasn't sure what he expected to find in there besides cans of tomato juice and dust bunnies, but he had no intention of stopping him, either.

"I've been fine until now. Don't see the problem." Dante said as he dialed the number to a bar up the street. Their pizza was... passable at the very least. A clatter in the kitchen told Dante that his twin was more than likely going through the cabinets.

"Yes I'm sure it has," Vergil said as the sound of a cabinet door closing echoed through the building followed by another and then a third. There was a pause as he presumably checked the last of the cabinets in the small kitchen. Dante could feel a sudden shift in the atmosphere as Vergil returned to the main room, a look of what he could only describe as murderous intent plastered upon his face." 

"Explain to me how it is possible that you don't own a single dish, cup, or piece of cookware?!" He said as he leaned over the desk to make eye contact with him, looming menacingly across the small space between them. Dante couldn't pinpoint what it was about the question that suddenly made him deeply uncomfortable, but he suddenly felt the need to be as far from Vergil as possible. He could practically feel Vergil snapping his neck just by making eye contact with him.

"I… don't really have an answer to that." He said, reclining in his chair in an effort to put some space between them. Vergil looked about two seconds from whipping out Yamato and harpooning him like some sort of deranged deep sea fisherman.

Vergil closed his eyes and shook his head, repressing the urge to twitch in discontent. "Get up. We're fixing this. Now."

Dante groaned and glanced around him, noting the rain that fogged up the windows and ran down them in lines like a fogged up glass coated in condensation. "You do know it's storming outside right? And we won't even be here tomorrow. Why worry about it?"

"...Did I stutter?" Vergil stated flatly in a tone so devoid of humor that Dante could practically feel the room grow darker. 

They stared at each other for a moment before the younger Son of Sparda sighed and shrugged, pushing his chair upright again. There was no point in battling this one out. He'd just end up laid out on the floor with a katana stuck through him. And getting the stains out of the floor was probably more expensive than whatever Vergil had in mind.

"... Let me get my coat?" Dante said, almost pleadingly. He didn't feel like having to ring himself out like an old towel when they got back.

Vergil shook his head, no hint of humor, mercy, of sympathy anywhere to be found in his vicinity. "No."

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beach arc starts next week on Wednesday! Writing this fic has been a blast so far! I love hearing from everyone, and I hope you're enjoying the series so far! Take care and sorry for any spelling errors I missed during editing!


	10. Chapter Ten: Baggage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: All your comments on the last chapter about Vergil had me rolling on the floor laughing like an idiot. See this, this is the kind of chaotic energy I thrive off of. Thank you for allowing me to flourish like this!

Chapter Ten: Baggage

(-~-)

4:50 am

A soft mist settled across the worn metal of the train tracks as the moon hung low, casting shadows across the dimly lit train station. The long beams of hardened steel shined from a combination of moisture and moonlight, making them look as new as the day they had been placed. Everything tended to look clean and new at night, and this was no different.

Everyone held their positions, babysitting their megar luggage (not so megar in some "cases") and the children in Nero's case as they awaited the arrival of the train. It would be here in a matter of minutes, and was supposed to be relatively empty considering the time of morning that it would be arriving during. Considering the fact that most of the locals were scared stiff of the dark at this point, getting them to stand at a train station in the middle of the night in dim lighting during a light sprinkle was totally out of the question. But that worked out better for them. And even if they were foolish enough to venture out during such trying conditions, Morrison had pulled some strings and, as a result, they basically had a whole train car to themselves. Apparently, someone owed him a favor and was in the good graces of the train company.

As Kyrie and Nico rounded up the children and took inventory of their belongings, Vergil took mental inventory of his surroundings. Dante had long since decided that he couldn't be bothered to stay awake and wait for the train, so he had made himself comfortable on a nearby bench and dozed off, much to his older twin's bewilderment. How Dante was capable of sleeping in such an unfamiliar environment was beyond him. Just a few feet away from him were Lady and Trish, trying to work out how they were going to get their luggage onboard the train. They had brought at least a month's worth of clothes on what would be, at most, a week long trip, and were having a difficult time reconciling the logistical challenge that came with moving that many bags. He would actually be amused by this if it weren't for the lingering feeling of discomfort that hung low in his gut, keeping him on edge. 

For a menagerie of complex yet obvious reasons, the prospect of spending several days with his two adult children put him seriously on edge. While waiting for the train, the realization that he actually had no idea what went on in either of his adult children's lives had slammed into him like a van into a brick factory, and he found this fact supremely unsettling. Aside from the different abilities they possessed in battle and the basic facets of their dramatically different personalities, Vergil was forced to admit that he actually had no idea what his children were like below the surface level. And making small talk wasn't something anyone in their family was any good at. 

This was going to be… challenging.

As if called upon by the awkward atmosphere itself, V walked past silently, taking a moment to stop and catch his breath. For all his talents, waking up early and actually being functional were not qualities he possessed. While he was coherent, that didn't mean that he was at peak physical condition. Due to V's habits and general disposition, he was much better acquainted with the concept of staying up for long periods of time that he was with getting up at a moments notice and catching a train. He found the concept distasteful and exhausting.

Vergil glanced between their respective bags, half wondering what V had actually packed. While he was more than willing to believe that Nero and Nico owned clothing suited to an afternoon at the beach, the polar opposite could be said for his eldest son. V didn't come off to him as the type to even know how to shop for outdoor clothing, let alone own any. It was curious. Regardless of what he believed, the young summoner actually owned a luggage bag though, to the shock of literally no one present, it was a rolling one. While Vergil was more than aware of his son's condition, it put him off slightly to be reminded of it. Perhaps if he helped him with the bag…

Without a moment to spare, a vintage red convertible pulled to a stop in the parking lot and out stepped Morrison. He opened the car door on the opposite side of the car to allow Patty to exit, the young blond girl dragging an oversized rolling bag along behind her as she headed towards the loading ramp to join the others. Upon catching sight of Dante sleeping, she stopped and shook her head, clearly disapproving of his sleeping habits.

"Hey, at least he made it here on time," Nero said as he walked past her, finally finished with taking inventory of the children's personal belongings," We've gotta give him credit for something. I was sure he was going to be late. I got no idea how he managed to beat us here."

Vergil spared them a passing glance as he folded his arms across his chest. He most certainly shared patty's disapproval. "When the alternative is being impaled on the end of my blade, I find that he is usually willing to accommodate my demands. But there have been a few... exceptions," Vergil drifted off for a moment, thinking," Did you know he didn't own any cookware or dishes before today? It's truly absurd."

Nero shot him a knowing look, taking a step closer to V to assess his condition. "Yea, neither of those facts really surprise me. You're both insane, after all."

Patty shook her head, clearly entertained by the pent up tension that fueled their conversation. She had no idea what caused it, but she definitely found it funny. "See, I was right! Dante just needs motivation! And the best way to motivate him is to smack him with stuff. It all checks out."

Vergil stared at her blankly for a moment. Yes that was what his twin needed. Motivation.

Just a moment later the lumbering locomotive they were scheduled to be boarding blew its whistle, signaling it's approach. It didn't sound far off. Everyone scrambled to collect their things and receive their tickets from Morrison who laughed under his breath at the unorganized mess in front of them before wishing them a safe trip. Literally everyone he knew was a walking disaster, and it never got old. Or less funny.

Much to Nero's surprise, the only person who seemed totally at ease was V. The taller while haired descendant of Sparda was leaning against the streetlamp nearest to the tracks, having migrated there during the commotion. He had everything together and seemed to be quietly observing the children. Though the little ones were well behaved, this was their first time near a train. If Carlo's experience with hot soup was anything to go by, he needed to divert a bit of his attention towards maintaining the welfare of the children. Kyrie was keeping an eye on them, but she and Nico had their bags to deal with and Nero only had two sets of eyes. At least as far as he knew. He'd grown wings and a new arm during his absence. Anything was possible. Nero was practically a super advanced amoeba at this point as far as he was concerned.

"Were you… You know, um…," Nero's entire mental process flat lined as he made eye contact with V, unsure of how he wanted to phrase his proposal," Did you… ya know… need help with your bag, V?"

The young summoner blanched, his pupils dilating for a moment like an alarmed house cat before he blinked and composed himself. It all happened so quickly that it was nearly imperceptible, but he'd done it nonetheless. V shifted his stance slightly, diverting his eyes in an attempt to break eye contact with Nero. He glanced in the direction of the oncoming train before speaking. 

"... I'm fine. This isn't the first time I've had to board a train recently," He glanced sparingly at Nero, clearly somewhat flustered by Nero's polite offer." But… I do appreciate your offer. Your concern is refreshing. I'll manage."

Nero shrugged, scratching the bridge of his nose before ducking away. He needed to check on the children. "Sure thing. Let me know if you, ya know, change your mind or something."

As the train pulled into the station, Nero took a moment to step away and join Kyrie and the kids. Attempting to keep three young and excited children under control while juggling luggage was going to be quite the experience. Thankfully children's clothing was smaller than its adult counterparts, so they were able to fit everything in one bag. In hindsight, it was rather impressive that Trish and Lady had individually packed more clothing than their entire family put together. Impressive, excessive, and hilarious. After a cursory check and a hurried final count, they prepared to board after the rest of the group. Going first would slow things down considerably.

While Patty gave Dante hell for falling asleep, V watched the train pull into the station casually. This was far from his first train trip, but it had been quite some time since he'd traveled with other people. And never with children. He shot Nico a quick glance, collecting his bag before it became an obstacle in their path. The young mechanic nodded in approval.

"I wonder why Nero didn't take Magnolia up on her offer to babysit the kids," She said as she grabbed her bags," I mean, I love em as much as the next person… but don't people usually take vacations to get away from their kids?"

V stood up straight, no longer leaning against the lamp. He considered her words for a moment, before facing ahead, clearly focused on something in the middle distance. That was a reasonable question, and he couldn't fault her for being curious. While no one minded that the children were along for the ride, especially since Nero had told most of them beforehand, he had to admit that he'd wondered the same thing when his younger brother had made that decision with Kyrie.

"If I were to make an educated guess, it's partially for his own benefit. He may wish to spend time with them," He said as he stepped towards the now still train, clearing a path for everyone," And also, what better way to drive our father absolutely insane? It's as much an act of revenge as it is an act of kindness. In a way, I almost find it poetic."

Nico gave him a funny look before the gears in her brain unstuck and she laughed slightly. "Oh, I get it! It's a parental pissing contest! Gotta remind his old man that he's the better parent!"

"Yes, I believe he's taking the moral middle ground on this trip, isn't he" V said, a hint of humor in his voice. He closed his eyes for a moment, scoffing at his sibling's petty yet understandable level immaturity," Well, that is when the high ground is being morally impregnable and the low road is refusing to come at all."

"Don't act like you wouldn't do the same thing," Nico said as she tried not to laugh. Vergil was approaching with Dante, and she didn't need him honing in on their conversation. She liked to think he liked her. Well, at the very least he seemed to want to stab her less than most of the rest of the team. That had to count for something.

V let out a brief chortle, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. " I have no children. And my methods of causing aggravation and proving my moral superiority are a bit more… subtle. Not to say that I care much either way."

Nico punched him in the side, eliciting a surprised exhale and a curious look. "No kids that you know of!"

He stared at her blankly for a moment, an unreadable look passing across his face. It was completely belied by his calm demeanor. "No. I'm quite certain that I don't have any. That would be impossible. I… Damn it."

She gave him a silly look, repressing the urge to go totally wide eyed and burst into laughter at what he had just inadvertently implied. Nico had caught him red handed, and his involuntary confession answered a lot of burning questions for her. "But what if ya did though? Or what if ya do someday? I mean, you've gotta have some luck getting a date with all that poetry you read, right? And it's not like your ugly or somethin..'"

V stopped for a moment, both to allow Kyrie to board first and to consider her statement. He turned back to her, his head tilted slightly to one side in an involuntary action that indicated that he was somewhat unsure as to how to answer that question. Nico got the impression that he'd probably never been asked that before, and Nero shot them both a curious look as he passed by them.

"... I've… I haven't… I don't think I've taken the necessary time to... consider that question yet. I have no way of answering that, at present." V seemed distant for a moment, almost troubled. 

For a second, Nico felt very uncomfortable. This was obviously a touchy subject, but not in the way she would have expected. Most of the time people got angry or flustered when asked a personal question they didn't intend to answer. V just seemed… forlorn and absent from the conversation. It was as if she had just asked him about someone dying or something, and he was recalling a painful memory. In that moment, Nico was certain that he had thought about it before, but uncertain as to how the subject affected him.

At least for the time being, she was going to drop the subject. This wasn't a good way to start what was supposed to be a fun group outing. V was always a little gloomy, but she'd clearly struck a nerve that she hadn't meant to, and the last thing she wanted to do was cause him to spend the entire train trip being upset and distracted.

"Yea um, sorry about that, I guess. Wasn't tryin' to… you know…" Nico said as she walked along behind the rest of the group, her bag in hand. The train was only going to stay for a minute or so longer. No one wanted to have to drive there to meet them.

V waived her off, blinking slowly in a way that showed that he absolutely did mind, but wasn't going to make a big deal out of it. He had bigger problems and didn't tend to hold petty grudges as a general rule. Although there were exceptions to that rule, he knew that Nico hadn't meant anything by it. If anything, she'd probably been trying to entertain them both.

"I'll go after you," He said, tilting his head nonchalantly in the direction of the train door. He honestly didn't enjoy being the first to board the train. Even though he knew it was entirely irrational and foolish, he felt as though he was being watched when he was the first to do something with his group. It made him feel slightly anxious, even when he was with people he trusted. 

She nodded and hopped on board the train, nearly stumbling with her heavy bag. For a moment, V considered the probability that she had snuck some of her "work" with her on the train. But then again, he was certain that everyone had snuck weapons on board as well, so it was a good thing that they didn't have to go through a metal detector or baggage check before boarding. All those demonic swords and specialized guns would have been rather difficult to explain away. In an ideal world, they wouldn't need them. But in the world they lived in, no one was foolish enough to think that asking Vergil to leave Yamato at home was a good idea or that it would end in anything but a swift stabbing.

"I see that your boarding last."

V turned his head, glancing over his shoulder to face the all too familiar voice that had just spoken to him. It was Vergil. His brain raced to pinpoint the exact moment that the eldest Son of Sparda had broken away from his twin brother and stayed behind to confront him, but it jammed like a cheap lock. Regardless, he was here. And he couldn't pinpoint why that made him so supremely uncomfortable. Perhaps it had something to do with what had happened the last time they had been alone with one another at a train station. His fight or flight instinct screamed at him, imploring him not to repeat the same mistakes that had landed him in the Redgrave incident in the first place. After all, if he hadn't taken that walk and walked face first into Vergil…

No, that hadn't been his fault. 

He needed to stop doing that to himself. 

That was in the past now.

The young summoner nodded, his vocal cords failing him. While he was aware that he needed to speak with him at some point on this trip, this would not be the moment that that happened. And the sudden realization that whatever awkwardness there was between them would transfer to their three hour train ride was almost enough to make him bolt across the parking lot and catch the ferry home. But that would accomplish nothing. And Nico had the keys, so the van wasn't going anywhere anyway.

Vergil let out a sound somewhere between a sigh and a chuckle, clearly expecting some sort of response akin to the one he received from his oldest son. And yet there was something else in his demeanor that betrayed his silent hope that that wouldn't be the case. Perhaps it was something in his eyes that V caught a glimpse of that told him that his lack of diction… saddened Vergil? Was the eldest Son of Sparda capable of that? V liked to believe so. Perhaps "liked" wasn't that proper word for it.

As V considered this, the train whistle blew. They would be departing in a minute. Vergil glanced over at the train casually, clearly not concerned about the concept of being left behind. He'd teleported to further away things in the past, and they'd been moving considerably faster than a train. He foresaw no challenge, at least for himself. While he assumed that V might share a similar ability, he had now way of knowing how proficient he was. But there would be no need to find out if they boarded the train.

"Come then," Vergil said as he approached the train, passing V in the process. He stopped for a moment, glancing over his shoulder to double check that he had complied with his request and found that he had. He then extended his arm to stop him, handing him one of the two slips of paper in his hand. It was a train ticket. V looked it over for a moment, giving Vergil an appreciative nod in the process. Much to his dismay, functionality had yet to return to the auditory cortex of his brain.

"I don't believe I saw you get yours from that middleman Dante is acquainted with, so I took the liberty of doing so on your behalf." He said casually as he stepped past him, swiping V's bag in the process. It was beyond Vergil to simply ask for it. He already knew what his son's response would be, if any at all.

V reached towards the confiscated luggage bag, his response too delayed to accomplish anything noteworthy. The young white haired summoner opened his mouth to speak, but words failed him yet again and he let his arm fall limply to his side. He sighed softly and cracked a small but appreciative smile before following after him. He'd stolen a glance at their respective seat numbers when Vergil had handed him the ticket earlier. 

It seemed that they would be sitting together…

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And just like that, the beach arc has begun! What's that? You thought it was going to be one or two chapters? HA! Try like five or six! There is character development that needs to happen here, people! Thanks for reading, take care, and I'll see you again on Friday! Bye bye! Also, I have a discord server. The links to it and my user id on there are in my A03 bio and listed below! I'd love to chat if you're ever in the neighborhood lol!
> 
> Server: https://discord.gg/Uyp75N6  
> SkvaderArts#2729


	11. Chapter Eleven: Departure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I considered skipping this train ride section for pacing reasons, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make Vergil and V more uncomfortable than they already were. This is a quick intermission chapter because once this train arrives, it's beach time! Thanks again for the comments! This is going to be a fun few chapters!

Chapter Eleven: Departure

(-~-)

It had been a relatively short time since the train had arrived, but it was now time for it to depart and head for greener pastures. With a final toot of it's horn, the heavy metal locomotive's wheels began to turn and it pulled away from the station, slowly gaining speed as it lumbered towards the tunnel at the far end of the tracks. It entered the pitch black space and barreled towards the far end, outward bound. Within the next few minutes they would be in the outskirts of town, cutting through the wooded plains that surrounded the county with a lovely view of the bay and the nearby mountains on either side of them. The oceanfront was only a few hours away, so they would be arriving just after daybreak. But before any of that happened, they needed to pass through the tunnel.

As the children peered out of the blackened windows in fascination, everyone made themselves comfortable. Lady and Trish retired to the far end of the car towards the entrance, still wrestling with their bags. Nico plopped down a few feet away from them, stretching out and relaxing. She didn't really have anything to do to pass the time, so a nap would suffice for the time being. Maybe she'd check out the snack car later on. Kyrie and Nero made sure that the children understood the limitations of what they were allowed to do on the train and then sat down, Kyrie opting to join Nico while Nero headed over to sit down next to Patty and Dante. The young blond woman was in the process of divulging some sort of complicated plot she wanted to enact once she got to the beach. Something about shopping and sunbathing. Nero couldn't be sure. He and Dante had both tuned out almost instantly.

During the on-boarding, V had made the decision that he would follow Vergil to his seat and sit with him. Setting aside the fact that basically every seat was available, aside from the ones that were currently being used to store luggage bags, Vergil had opted to sit as far away from everyone else as he could. His social battery was extremely low, second only to his eldest son. And even that was up for debate. The darkslayer needed to take a moment to collect his thoughts and compose himself. Stabbing someone to death the second the train pulled off wasn't the best way to kick off the trip, and he had the feeling that this was going to be a long day.

For now, all they could do was wait until they were able to see again and find something to do to pass the time until they reached their destination.

(-~-)

The countryside of Capulet City was a beautiful local filled with small cottages that sat in the middle of rolling green hills. The trees that bordered the crop fields on either side were lush and green, providing a perfect contrast to the snow capped mountains in the distance. They were only about an hour and a half from their destination, and not many other passengers had boarded during the quick stops that the train had made. Those that did had made their way to other cars, seemingly keying into the fact that everyone present was traveling as a group and that they'd be intruding in they came and sat in the middle of them. There were so many empty seats on the other train cars that it didn't make a difference one way or another.

Dante had long since dozed off again, leaving Nero alone with Patty. The two had met previously, but this was the first time they had actually gotten the chance to have a decent conversation. Kyrie had since joined them, sitting quietly and enjoying the beautiful view out the window next to her as she flipped through the pages of a random magazine she'd found in the food car. The children had finally run out of energy and fallen asleep, freeing up all the adults to do as they pleased as long as it was relatively quiet. It was a rare moment of relaxation and peace, and Kyrie was going to capitalize on it. After all, even when Nico and Nero were watching the children, there was always noise. It hadn't been silent like this since they'd taken them in, but she still adored the little ones and was proud of their decision to take them in. She just missed the peace and quiet they'd once had from time to time.

"So you guys grew up together and then started going out and now you have kids and stuff?! That's so cute!" Patty tried to keep her voice down, but she found the story of how Nero and Kyrie had met too cute whisper," I had so many boys at school ask me out that it's insane. Maybe I should have Dante pay them a visit sometime. Might not be worth it now, though. I graduated a couple of weeks ago. Dang it! Missed my chance at revenge!"

Kyrie smiled, glancing up from her magazine. She'd been so engrossed in it that she'd barely been paying attention, but she couldn't help but notice the last little bit of what the teen blond had said to her. She was a talkative girl, but she was very friendly.

"Oh, you're too kind, Patty! It's so nice to finally get to meet you. We've been so busy for a while now. Dealing with what happened in our home a few years ago has been rough, but I think everything is looking up now." Kyrie beamed, her face flushed from excitement and happiness," You should come by sometime for dinner! We could show you all the pretty new things they've built. I think you'd like it!"

Nero nodded in agreement, semi awake. His attention was drawn towards the back of the car where the other half of his family currently resided. V wasn't one for conversation, and neither was their father. What was he hoping to achieve by sitting with the older demon slayer? "Yea, you should totally come over sometime. Don't be surprised if the locals look at you funny, though. They aren't used to outsiders yet, but they're getting there. It's just taking a while."

Patty shook her head, folding her arms across her chest. She had an indignant but somehow silly look on her face. It was hard to tell how she actually felt about the proposition.

"No, I don't think I'd like it, you guys," She said firmly, driving home her point. At the last second she cracked a toothy grin, holding back mischievous laughter," I'd LOVE it! I've always wanted to go to an island! I'll totally come over when we get back from this trip. It's gonna be AMAZING!"

Nero shook his head, sighing internally. Yea, Patty had definitely been around Dante for too long. She was nuts, but in a fun sort of way. And watching the way she handled his uncle honestly cracked him up. She was a wildfire in a tiny woman's body, and he couldn't help but find her thoroughly enjoyable to be around. In a way, she reminded him of Nico. She just had better manners, wore a lot more pink, and cursed a lot less. But she reminded him of Kyrie, too. She was so well put together and, well, girly. In a way, she was like a perfect middle ground between Kyrie and Nico. And anyone that could boss Dante around got bonus points in his book. Well, just about anyone.

Kyrie giggled, clearly delighted by the young blond's response. "Wonderful! I look forward to it."

As if in response to their conversation, Dante slumped over and smacked his face against the table between them, promptly shaking himself awake. It didn't really hurt the youngest Son of Sparda so much as it annoyed him, but he was awake now either way.

"Ug, fell asleep. What did I miss?"

The three of them laughed, sharing their heads at the spectacle that had unfolded in front of them as Kyrie double checked to make sure that the devil hunter was alright. She knew he'd faced worse things before, but she still couldn't help but worry. "Oh, you two are just terrible. He could have hurt himself! Have you no shame?"

Nero, Patty, and Dante exchanged silent, blank glances before bursting into hysterical laughter. They were all suddenly very glad that they'd brought Kyrie along for the ride. That had to be the funniest damn thing they'd heard in a long time.

On the far side of the room, the sudden uptake in activity had caught V's attention. The young summoner craned his neck in an effort to get a better view of the excitement, his keen hearing catching the faintest glimmer of what they were going on about. For a moment, a small smirk ghosted his lips, humor lifting the boredom he felt. He'd been sitting there for a while, silently looking out of the window. He was battling the desire to enjoy his surroundings white also wanting to take a nap. But there was a time and a place for rest, and he'd have plenty of opportunities to do so later.

As V watched them continue to laugh and enjoy themselves, Vergil watched him in a manner so stealthy that V had yet to clue into it. The eldest of the twins sat with his back to the commotion, V sitting on the other side of the table from him. While he knew that he could sit basically wherever he wanted, their tickets had actually specified these seats. Vergil hadn't realized that he wasn't required to sit in the exact spot marked on his stub, and the last thing he was going to do was give Dante something to make fun of him about. So, at least for now, he was going to make it look like he'd picked this spot on purpose and was only sitting her because he wanted to, not because the ticket had picked the spot for him. 

Knowing that, part of him wondered why V insisted on sticking around.

After they'd reached their respective seats, Vergil had returned his son's bag to him, taking the opportunity afforded by their swift departure and subsequent lack of light from the tunnel to slip something out of his own bag without V noticing. The eldest Son of Sparda was relatively sure he had a foolproof way of breaking the ice with his decidedly silent offspring. He'd just didn't think he'd have to utilize it so early in the trip.

With V's attention slowly drifting back towards the window and away from the events unfolding inside of the train, Vergil slowly sat up straight and leaned over the table. V glanced over at him quietly, carefully concealing how perturbed he was by his father's sudden closeness. Without speaking a word or breaking the hard won fleeting eye contact that he'd managed to garner from his child, Vergil reached down onto the seat next to himself and procured a familiar bound tome. He placed it face down on the table, a soft thud sounding off as the cover made contact with the table's laminate top. Vergil slid it half way across the table but didn't remove his hand. Judging by the slow blink and accompanying barely audible exhale that V released from his lungs, he was ecstatic to see his treasured book again. And it couldn't have happened at a better time considering how little there was to do on the ride to the oceanfront.

"... I believe you dropped this…" Vergil didn't follow up on his statement. He instead waited quietly for V to respond in some way. Considering the part that the book had played in his resurrection, and the fact that he'd carried it around with him during the events of the Redgrave City calamity, Vergil had rightfully ended up concluding that his oldest son held a great deal of love for the tome. If only he knew…

V reached towards the book and then slowly withdrew his hand, instead choosing to place his hand down on the table next to it. A part of him simply couldn't believe that it had survived yet again. The last time he'd seen his favorite collection of poems, it had been tucked away on his person where it belonged. He'd recalled a few choice words just before his untimely demise, reciting a choice fraze that he'd saved for just such an occasion.

"While thy branches mix with mine, and our roots together join."

"...I thought I'd lost this forever…" V stopped for a moment, suddenly overcome with a level of emotion he didn't really understand how to process. While some might think it foolish to place such a high amount of importance on such a small, ordinary item, the book had been a great comfort and an unwavering friend during some of the most difficult parts of his young life. To have it returned to him was… liberating. "I... don't think I have a way of properly thanking you for returning this to me..."

Vergil leaned back in his seat, shifting slightly. Now they were getting somewhere. Vergil glanced out of the window for a moment. him brain taking a second to process what he wished to communicate. To say that it was difficult for him to say things in a manner that didn't make him come off as completely unapproachable was an understatement. But in the case of his two sons, he was trying to improve that aspect of his personality. Even if only a little.

"You can start by explaining how it came to be in your possession in the first place. After all, the book was originally mine," Vergil said cooly, giving V an almost inquisitive look. The young white haired summoner balanced slightly, letting out a long sigh that spoke volumes. Vergil already knew the answer, but his reaction spoke volumes.

V slouched slightly, glancing around him as if he were uncomfortable divulging his secrets with the rest of the train in earshot. He leaned in slightly, trying to get closer but not come off as suspicious. 

"I have a feeling you already know what I'm going to say," He said almost breathlessly. He suddenly looked almost physically ill, the ideal of talking about such a sensitive subject twisting his stomach into knots. He could practically feel his blood pressure rise just contemplating the conversation ahead of them. "But if you wish to discuss that then privacy is paramount. Could this wait until we reach the station?"

Vergil nodded, now feeling much the same way that V did. He knew that they were going to have to have this conversation sooner or later, but that didn't make things any less uncomfortable. These sorts of conversations were always tense and fraught with painful baggage. As much as Vergil would've loved to dodge this topic for the rest of his life, he had to own up to his mistakes at some point, and the gravity of that fact was slowly starting to weigh on him. There was nothing he could do about it. He'd avoided it as long as he could, but it had caught up with him nonetheless. The day had finally come.

Like it or not, it was time they talked about V's mother.

And he didn't like it. Not one tiny little bit.

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH BOY THE BEACH ARC IS GONNA BE WILD. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! Take care out there, stay safe, and I can't wait to see you all again very soon! See you in the comment section!


	12. Chapter Twelve: Lofty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Welcome to the community, Kokox10! I loved reading your comments. It's always to have a new face around here to interact with. I hope that every single one of you had a good week and that you're staying safe. And thank you for continuing to read the story!

Chapter Twelve: Lofty

(-~-)

The Sparda Express pulled into the station at half past eight am, the cool waters of the bay area glimmering like a mirage in an arid desert. The sands were practically untouched, evening wind shaping them into smooth, wavy rows that perfectly accented the dark surf at the water's edge. It seemed as though the residents of the sleepy beachside town had yet to venture out of their homes, and those that had were at work or school. As an added bonus, their hotel was just across from the boardwalk that bordered the white sands of the seafront, providing them easy access to the shops and their earthly possessions. This was advantageous to the members of the Devil May Cry agency, as it meant that they would attract even less attention than they normally did back home.

Accommodations had been arranged ahead of time by Morrison to help avoid any complications. Things were never simple when you were dealing with such a large group of people. Much to the shock and horror of basically everyone involved, there were enough beds to go around, but only three rooms, meaning that someone would be staying with the children. Nero volunteered almost instantly, all to aware of the fact that Kyire would do so if someone else didn't. That was just who she was as a person. But he hadn't talked her into coming just so she could spend all of her time worrying over the boys. And besides, he had been looking for another opportunity to spend some quality time with the children. It all worked out in the end for the five of them.

Who it didn't work out for was V.

In a decision that surprised literally no one, Dante and Vergil ended up sharing a room. But unlike Lady, Trish, and Nico, who were sharing the remaining room, and Patty, who had booked her own private room that she decided to share with Kyrie at the last minute just because she'd come to enjoy her company on the train ride over, V ended up with two less than ideal choices. He could either stay with Nero… or he could stay with his father and uncle, a choice that carried the added risk of being awoken in the middle of the night by a charged sword fight if they got into a disagreement.

Considering the fact that the accommodations had been taken care of by a third party, no one aside from Patty had considered who they might end up sharing a room with, least of all V. He'd simply agreed to some because he'd never been to the beach before, and he was curious to see what it was like. But, in the end, he decided to go against his sense of self preservation and stay in the room with Dante and Vergil, a choice that seemed to take both twins off guard. They were only sleeping in the same room. It couldn't be that bad, could it?

Yes.

Yes it could.

After taking their bags to their respective rooms and grabbing the necessities that they would need for the foreseeable future, they split into groups to check out different parts of the beach. Nero and Nico headed to the beach, noting that containing the excitement of the children was difficult. It was best to simply go ahead and let them start exploring the water's edge and enjoying the summer sun. Lady, Trish, and Patty absolutely insisted that Kyrie come with them to a local clothing boutique they'd seen on the way into town, noting that she needed something "cute to wear to the beach." The young woman reluctantly agreed, more than likely afraid of what the two devil hunters would try to get her to try on.

But Dante and Vergil were still at the hotel, roaming the lobby. Despite the fact that he had agreed to come to the beach, V had told everyone else to go ahead. Apparently he was still trying to talk himself into leaving the hotel room and actually going to the beach. They had no idea what the conflict could be, but Vergil had opted to stay behind and wait for him, unbeknownst to his oldest son. This was partially due to their agreement to talk on the train, and to help Vergil avoid the concept of actually going to the beach yet. Vergil had spent enough time near the water for his tastes. And as such, Dante had chosen to stay and wait with him. He has obvious motives for doing so, but that went without saying.

"So… what do you think is keeping him," Dante said as he flipped through the magazine that he'd found on the table in front of him. He was reclined in a comfortable lobby chair while Vergil chose to lean against the wall by the window. V was still upstairs in their hotel room, doing who knew what. Everyone else had left a few minutes ago.

Vergil folded his arms, looking out of the corner of his eye at the window. Blue as far as the eye could see. No sand from this angle. Just light water that slowly melded into deeper water and what seemed to be a large rock or small island in the distance; nothing but a speck on the horizon from this distance. He didn't find that as tranquil and enticing as he imagined that most people would.

"It was your decision to stay behind, Dante. No one is forcing you to be here," Vergil said flatly, hoping to halt any plans his younger twin might have of asking that question repeatedly in order to drive him slowly insane," He can't be expected to rush, especially when he has no idea that anyone is waiting for him. He has no compelling reason to hurry."

Dante leaned back slightly and craned his neck to the side, raising his eyebrows in curiosity. He wasn't accustomed to Vergil being this patent. While his twin was admittedly very good at planning and enacting long, drawn out plans, he wasn't normally so good at sitting (or standing) and waiting for long periods of time. Or any period of time, for that matter. Being left along to wander through his subconscious was a bad course of action, more often than not. And the longer the eldest Son of Sparda was forced to wait, the thinner his tolerance grew. Patience was not normally a quality his twin brother possessed as an extension of that fact. But here he was, resisting the urge to go knock on the door and tell V that they were waiting for him. He really was trying, wasn't he?

"Yea, but he might have decided to take a nap or something for all we know," Dante said, turning a page in the periodical he was browsing through. He hadn't found anything super interesting yet. No news of anything demonic in the area. Maybe the residents of the town didn't believe in that sort of thing? "Don't you think you should go check on him or something?"

Vergil shrugged slightly, seemingly indifferent to the suggestion. At the end of the day, he was in no hurry to go anywhere. They would be here for a few days. He felt no reason to rush. He really didn't have anything planned once they reached the waterfront. "When last I checked, your legs were perfectly functional. Why not go ask him yourself?"

Dante shook his head slightly and returned to his magazine. He didn't really have a comeback to that statement. Yea, he was physically capable of doing that. He just didn't feel like doing that at the moment. As far as he was concerned, Vergil had a point on this one. But he was willing to admit that it was still possible that he could be correct, too. He would wait for a few more minutes before heading upstairs to double check what was causing the delay.

A passive silence fell over them both. For once, the silence between them wasn't a result of hostility or bitter feelings, so there was one silver lining to this situation. But either way, Dante hoped that V would come down soon and spare them from the lack of conversation. It was too early in the trip of things to be so uncomfortable. They hadn't even gotten sand where it didn't belong yet!

Off in the distance, the faint sound of a door closing could be heard. Dante subconsciously hoped that his wish had come true while Vergil shot a slow but brief glance in the general direction of the stairs. Neither of them had any idea how many rooms were in this building, especially considering the fact that there were two wings with rooms in them, but that didn't change the fact that it could possibly be V. The youngest Son of Sparda's hopes were dashed a second later as a young woman walked past them, heading out of the building. She proceeded to the checkout counter, paid some sort of fee, and then vacated the building, towing her bags behind her.

The youngest of the two twins flipped through his magazine, checking to see if anything else caught his eye before admitting defeat and casually flinging it across the table. It landed in the center of the table with a soft smack and then folded open again, the wear and overuse it had suffered through clearly leaving a permanent crease in one portion of the thin booklet. Dante almost pitied it in a way. Sometimes he felt like that magazine.

A chance glance in Vergil's general direction revealed that he had slowly migrated closer to the bottom of the steps, rounding the corner that he had been around. Part of him wondered what had motivated him to do so, but he was actually more curious as to why a hotel with five stories didn't have an elevator in it. Yes, it was older and seemed to be retrofitted with newer amenities, but that didn't make it any less of a hassle. Their room was on the third floor. At least it had a bathroom.

Faint footsteps could be heard from throughout the entire building as different patrons went about their business, going to and from their rooms. The soft classical music that played throughout the building lended a relaxing air to the place that you'd expect considering the fact that it was on a waterfront. No one wanted to come here and not relax. That would be stupid. As this thought passed through Dante's mind, another visitor came down the steps, shooting a curious look over their shoulder as they reached the bottom of the steps. Upon seeing the twins, the young man furrowed his brow for a moment before heading towards the buffet area. A knowing look crossed Vergil's face.

"You may get your wish sooner rather than later, brother." Vergil said calmly as he watched the man leave, paying little attention to his twin's reaction. 

Dante nodded. "Yea, seems like he was suffering from a serious case of deja vu." He stretched out, making himself comfortable," Or maybe he saw our hair color and just thinks we're old or something. He wouldn't really be wrong."

The comment seemed to incense Vergil, causing him almost serene demeanor to shatter like porcelain in an earthquake. Dante could practically feel him get pissed off at the statement. "I'm not old, Dante. You'd do well to remember that."

Upon hearing his brother's statement, Dante laughed, garnering him an almost ticked off look from his older twin. "Vergil, were twins. If I'm old, you're old. And I'm pretty sure I'm old," He said, shaking his head at the inevitability of their mortality," You have two grown kids. One of them had three kids of their own. Only old people have adult kids, brothers. I'm sorry to break it to ya, but you're old!"

Vergil looked equal parts furious and horrified at his brother's statement. Dante knew that regardless of what his brother felt, that didn't change things. They both knew they were not as young as they had once been. That was just how life worked. But it occurred to him in that moment that maybe Vergil hadn't considered how much of his life he had lost to his time in the underworld until now. The gravity of having spent half his life down there had probably hit him like a brick shithouse. They'd come here to enjoy a relaxing seaside vacation, and he'd given his older twin an existential crisis instead. 

Eh, he wasn't upset about it, either.

"I'm... were not having this conversation today." Vergil said, clearly flustered. Dante was lucky that Yamato was nowhere to be seen. That being said, he was sure Vergil had stashed the blade somewhere around himself. It seemed to appear from nowhere half of the time anyway. Their father's old sword was just weird like that sometimes.

"Fine by me… but you're still-" Dante started, barely suppressing the shiteating grin that was threatening to spread across his face. It was good to see that he could still get under his older twin's skin this easy.

"Don't you dare!" Vergil said, his voice slightly elevated, but his tone darker than normal. It was extremely alarming and intimidating. Dante was half sure that his twin was about to whip out his trusty katana and cut him a new one. His older twin took a step towards him, more than likely about to say something when there was a loud thump and a yelp. Vergil pivoted and took a few quick steps to the left without looking, just barely stopping in front of the stairs in time.

Without warning, V came rocketing down the steps. The young summoner had more than likely missed a step, and his misplaced footing had sent him headfirst over the top of the stairs. Vergil caught him under the left arm and right side respectively, sliding back slightly as he braced himself carefully, seemingly noting that, due to his height, not holding him up was probably just as bad as simply letting him hit the floor. V gasped for breath slightly as he hit his father's chest first, knocking his head against his shoulder. If V had been heavier and Vergil less coordinated, the sheer force of impact would have probably sent them both tumbling to the floor. Dante had clambered to his feet during the excitement, heading over towards them. What the hell had just happened?

V took a second to steady himself, rubbing his head slightly as his legs buckled. After a moment, he stood up all the way. He seemed startled and slightly dazed, but otherwise unharmed. Dante walked over to the stairs and picked up the shoulder bad that V had dropped. He was willing to bet that it had thrown him off and caused him to go flying down the stairs. At least he was alright.

"You alright there, mister poetry?" Dante asked as he walked over to him, handing him the bag. He considered shaking him slightly to test this, but decided against it once his self preservation instincts kicked in. "What the hell happened?"

The younger white haired part devil shook his head slightly as if doing so would help him part the clouds in his mind. He accepted his bag from Dante with a grateful nod before turning back to Vergil. It was then that he noticed that he was braced against the older devil hunter, his balance not yet fully returned. It seemed that his equilibrium was still slightly off. V took a step back and swayed slightly, his head swimming and pounding like all the blood had just rushed to it. What was wrong with him?

"... Thank you for catching me. I'm fine now." V said softly, his head still swimming. It was like he was caught in an echo chamber. The sensation was nauseating. "And for my bag, Dante. I appreciate it."

Vergil craned his head to the side, giving him a thinly concealed look of what V identified as concern. Or, at least that's what he thought it was. He couldn't be sure, but that was the reaction that made the most sense to him.

"Your a poor liar," Vergil said with a huff, steadying him by grabbing his forearm. He was trying his level best to look calm and composed, but the eldest Son of Sparda was admittedly still playing over how things could have gone if he hadn't caught him." We decided to wait for you. Can you stand?"

The hint of concern in his father's voice and the way that Vergil had offhandedly asked him if he was alright resonated with him, catching him slightly by surprise. Getting used to Vergil treating him like this was going to take a lot of getting used to. He hoped he wouldn't need to. Constantly being in danger didn't agree with his physical composition. 

Where had his demonic blood failed him? 

Why did he suffer from such a distinct lack of… durability?

V took a moment to fix the loose white button down shirt that Kyrie had absolutely insisted he wear on this trip when she had surprised him and Nero with them. Apparently she'd wanted to take pictures of them in matching outfits. Despite the fact that he was still wearing loose pants and Nero was wearing knee length shorts, the prospect of a photo opp still gave him hypertension. But Kyrie had asked so…

"I'll be fine. We should go and meet Nero and the others. I'm sure the children have overthrown him by now." V said as he rubbed his shoulder in mild discomfort. He was relatively sure he'd pulled something when Vergil caught him under the arm. It was a fact of life that his bones despised him and possessed the combined durability of a broken light bulb and the rigidity of a dry spaghetti noodle. His physical composition seemed engineered to fail painfully at times, especially when his limbs simply stopped working like his leg had on the stairs. "And I suppose we should have that talk now, shouldn't we?

Vergil nodded slowly, giving him a careful look as Dante headed towards the front door. He could tell they needed a moment, so giving them some space had been a no brainier. 

"Yes, I believe that might be the right course of action. Come then." Vergil said as he stepped past him. He paused for a moment, turning back towards V," Ah yes… I almost forgot."

With that, he snagged V's bag and turned back towards the door, walking a few steps before stopping. He seemed to be waiting for him. V took the hint and followed after them both, flabbergasted. It seemed that there was some unwritten rule stating that he was not permitted to carry bags while in his father's company. He wasn't sure how he felt about that yet, to be honest.

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this chapter! I'm happy today I finished it on Monday at 6:20 am! I'm not glad that I'm up this late, per say. I'm just glad that I'll be finished with Friday's chapter come Thursday morning! Being on schedule for once is a nice feeling. Have a safe week and I'll see you again on Friday!


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Matronymic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Thanks for all the kind comments! I loved talking to you guys!

Chapter Thirteen: Matronymic

(-~-)

The peaceful sound of waves hitting the shoreline was shattered by the sound of children laughing as Kyle, Carlo and Julio darted about, kicking up sand and generally causing mayhem. Nero chased after them, earnestly pretending that he couldn't keep up with them. It was debatable if he was actually faking it when he stopped mid way and bent over, complaining that he'd hit his foot on a rock. The children kept their distance, not willing to take the chance that he might be kidding and risk being snatched and carted off. After recovering from his supposed injury, the young devil hunter hightailed it after the children again, unwilling to allow too much distance to form between him and the kids. Despite the fact that the two older children could actually swim, he still felt the need to keep an eye on them. And Carlo had to be watched intently. He was thrilled to spend time with them like this for once. Most of the time Nero was so busy that he didn't get to just spend a day with the children without some sort of interruption. No one was at fault in this circumstance, but it still pained him at times that he couldn't just sit and enjoy the children while they were still… children.

From the edge of the boardwalk several yards behind them, Vergil stood with his back to the road. The darkslayer hadn't strayed from his place at the edge of the boardwalk, the shadow of a large, healthy tree of some sort casting ample shade and shielding him from the harsh rays of the sun. It wasn't particularly hot there, but Vergil had spent enough time in the intense heat of the underworld to have grown tired of its influence. He'd adapted to it and accepted it as a reality of his existence, but tolerating and enjoying were two totally different things. He tolerated Nero's slights against him. He enjoyed smiting his enemies. They were different matters entirely.

Just a few feet behind him, V approached. He eyed the sandy expanse in front of him with an unreadable look in his eyes, his soft green orbs casting a shadow of their own between where he currently stood and the water. His eyes lingered longer than they probably should have before he averted his gaze towards his shoulder bag. It was still in Vergil's possession, and he would have to retrieve it at some point in the near future. After all, he'd brought it with him from their hotel room for a reason. His belongings served him no purpose while they were inaccessible inside of their carrying case.

Dante waved at them over his shoulder as he passed by, heading towards the water where Nero currently was. Vergil allowed himself to consider what his twin might be up to given the careful effort he seemed to be putting into sneaking up on Nero, but it didn't take much to come to the conclusion that it was probably something silly and childish. But the more that the oldest Son of Sparda watched his twin carry out whimsical episodes of youthful stupidity, the more that it occurred to him that there was something… hollow about it. It was as though he had constructed some sort of mask or wall to hide something behind. Vergil himself had done so for years, so it wasn't exactly difficult for him to pick up on after long periods of exposure to his younger doppelganger. What he didn't comprehend was the purpose behind it. What could Dante be concealing from everyone, especially from his older twin? It perplexed the blue devil to no end, though he tended to not try and dwell on it. There would be plenty of time and then some to get to the bottom of what was going on with his younger sibling. 

One thing was for certain however.

Something had changed in Dante during his absence. 

He was not the same carefree teenager that he had once been. And the more he tried to ignore that, the more it bothered him. In a way, Dante seemed… tired to him. It was a sentiment that they both shared. But what had happened to trigger such a drastic tonal switch in him. Dante had once been hyperactive and reckless, going so far as to do rash and insane things with little thought or planning. It had always been a stark contrast to how Vergil went about his own goals. But Vergil couldn't help but notice that as they got older, they seemed less and less different. They were closer now than ever, but their minds were miles apart. He couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly, but Dante just seemed distant to him now, even when they were close to one another. It wasn't as if he were avoiding him outright, but he was definitely avoiding something about Vergil or something relating to their relationship with one another. For now, all Vergil could do was speculate as he waited for V to join him. And he was determined to hate every second of it.

V joined him a moment later, opting to sit on the bench that was connected to the railing. He faced the road quietly, glancing over his shoulder at the beach behind him. Although he was still near Vergil, he had purposely put distance between them. At the end of the day, the white haired summoner needed his space, but there was more to it than that. He'd spend a considerable amount of time over the last day or so considering what Magnolia had said to him the other day in her home. She had made a valid point. But he couldn't put aside Vergil's past transgressions as easily as he would have liked to, regardless of home much mental energy he spent on it. The harder he tried to move on from his unfortunate history with his father, the harder he dwelled on it. It was as if he were caught on a snare and the only way he could break loose would be to sever the part of him that was caught in the trap, but he couldn't see what was caught in it. He was only capable of reaching out in the dark, blinded and suffering but unable to do anything to fix it despite the fact that he was willing to do what was necessary to rectify the situation.

In truth, it was exhausting.

He felt as crippled mentally as he did physically. 

Perhaps even more so.

A short distance away, Dante sprang his trap. Nero was in the process of trying to wrangle his mischievous children together in one spot so that they would prove less difficult to keep an eye on. As such, the young devil hunter had his back to Dante and was none the wiser that he was present, leaving the older hunter an opening to enact his clever plan. With quite literally no forewarning whatsoever, Dante caught Nero under the arms and he was going to lean over and give the children a stern talking to. The younger of the to floundered instantly, in exactly the wrong position to try and deliver any sort of meaningful counter attack. Dante then snickered and flung him several feet into the ocean water, garnering hysterical laughter from the children. They had seen his approach and had opted not to tip their adoptive father off to his arrival. Although they hadn't spent a ton of time with their new uncle, they were aware that he tended to do things they found funny to Nero. And that was enough to guarantee their cooperation. So long as Dante kept them entertained, they were happy to be his partners in crime. And he was happy to oblige their request. Pestering Nero was truly one of his favorite pastimes.

Nero hit the water with a loud smack, indicating that he had landed less than gracefully. But then again, he hadn't really been given the option to do so in the first place. Dante joined the children, bending over and placing his hands on his knees as he cackled hysterically. Was he fully aware that his beloved nephew was probably going to sneak out of his hotel room when the children fell asleep tonight to skin him alive. Yes. Did he really care that much? Well, there were stupider ways to die. At least it would be at the hands of someone he liked. In retrospect, he wasn't sure if that was better or worse… 

"Dante what the fuck is your problem!?" Nero shouted with as much air as his lungs could scrounge up as he broke the surface of the water. The children might have been impressed with Dante's inhuman display of physical strength and sneakiness, but the younger devil hunter most certainly was not," You just wait! I'm gonna get your ass!"

The more experienced devil hunter folded his arms across his chest and chuckled slightly, raising his eyebrows. He was as unimpressed as he was unworried. At the end of the day, Dante knew that Nero couldn't do anything to him out in the open within the line of sight of so many pedestrians. Until they went back to the hotel, he was totally in the clear. And he planned to capitalize on that.

"Oh, I'm sorry… Kid. You looked a little hot. Thought you might be suffering from heatstroke, so I thought I'd help ya cool off," With much effort, Dante managed to contain the shiteating grin that attempted to spread across his lips as he spoke. One he was sure that Nero's white hot furry had reached a literal boiling point, he turned in the direction of the kids,"Don't repeat anything he just said. I'm pretty sure your mom would like that. But if you slip up, I'll back you up when you blame him. That sound good?"

The children nodded. They had absolutely no reason to rebel against that plan. What child in their right mind, even one who didn't really understand what was going on, would turn down a free get out of jail card with an infinite expiration date? Dante took a step away from the water and was caught off guard as Nero lunged forward and grabbed him, using his redirected body weight to throw them both into the water. The children erupted into another fit of laughter, still unsure as to what on earth was going on. Thankfully, they were too young to be able to identify attempted murder. Nero didn't need any witnesses in the event of a court case.

From across the soft, white sands of the beach, Vergil shook his head. As far as he was concerned, the heat had gotten to his younger twin. Nero had an explosive personality if his experience with him was anything to go by, so he couldn't fathom what had to be going through his head to decide to do something like that. That being said, he wasn't going to condone the murder of his idiotic twin. No. Dante had to continue to live and suffer his presence. It was the ultimate form of punishment.

V let slip a soft chuckle, smirking at the scene unfolding before them. He was starting to see where Nero got his more playful side from. Dante's personality was largely forign to him. They hadn't interacted extensively during the Redgrave City incident, and before that, they had never met. Slowly but surely he was educating himself on the members of his family. But Dante was… challenging. One could only hope that Dante didn't attempt to fling him into the bay like that. Things would take a decidedly negative turn quite rapidly if he did so.

"They seem to be enjoying themselves," Vergil said with a slight shake of his head. He closed his eyes for a moment as his mind tried to refocus on the task at hand," It's truly a wonder that he's managed to live this long. I'm almost impressed."

"Satisfaction isn't in your nature, it seems. I can't imagine that you were always like this," V said as he attempted to scoot over and out of the sun. The light breeze had picked up and turned into a mild wind, shifting the angle of the shade," Though I do advise you against doing something like that to me."

With a slight tilt of his head, Vergil adjusted his gaze. He gave V an unreadable look, but was unsure of how to react when V seemed to dismiss it all together. That wasn't something he was accustomed to. "... I'm assuming that Dante's foolishness isn't what you came here to discuss."

A quick nod of V's head confirmed Vergil's suspicions. The darkslayer gritted his teeth in discontent. Though he was eager to get this uncomfortable conversation out of the way, he didn't feel the desire to do so right now. But he wasn't gaining any points with his oldest son by holding out on him. With an almost protracted sigh, he closed his eyes again, leaning into the rail. "What would you like to know?"

Uncomfortable silence fell over them like a thick weighted blanket as V seemed to ponder the question. There was a part of him that didn't expect to get as far as he just had. As such, he didn't really have any specific questions in mind. The young summoner settled on something he considered rudimentary and uncomplicated. It seemed like a reasonable place to start.

"You can start with her name. I have no memory of her." V's head fell slightly as the words left his mouth. With every word, his tone grew more faint. It seemed that he physically wasn't prepared for the conversation they were currently having. Actually getting answers was something he had always told himself would more than likely never happen. Everything about this conversation seemed… surreal. And he had no idea how finally knowing the truth would actually affect him.

With a long, uncomfortable sigh, Vergil stood up again. The eldest Son of Sparda folded his arms, wishing that he hadn't brought this up so soon. While he never had what he would consider a "good day", today had been better than most. He wasn't sure if this conversation would ruin that, but it was a definite possibility. And the conformation that V didn't know his mother was almost physically hard for him to swallow. He'd assumed that a while back based off of other things that he had overheard V say in casual conversation, but having it so blatantly stated as fact cut him in a way he couldn't put into words. Vergil had never imagined that she'd… 

"... Vivienne. Her name was Vivienne. Though her last name escapes me at the moment," Vergil paused for a long moment, both to allow V to process his statement and to try and recall her maiden name. It bothered him that he couldn't remember what it was, even if it had been difficult for him to pronounce at the time she'd told it to him. That was a lifetime ago now."... I believe it was… Beaumont, but she went by her mother's maiden name, Monroe. Some sort of falling out with her father if I'm not mistaken. It was complicated."

There was a long moment of silence between them as V digested the information that had been given to him. He nodded to himself, unsure of what to say. After a while, he glanced up at Vergil. In a way, they both looked equally distressed to be talking about this.

"Do you think she's… Is she…" V couldn't quite make himself think or speak the words he wished to so that he could finish his inquiry. There was a part of him that didn't really want to know. It was as if his mind was playing tug of war with itself. Luckily he didn't need to. Vergil sighed quietly as he looked down at the ground and then over at him. For a moment they shared a silent instance of consideration, not needing to express their thoughts or emotions out loud. For perhaps the first time, they were on the same page.

"I have no idea… But I intend to change that,'' There was a note of finality in Vergil's voice as he turned towards the stairs that led down to the beach and took a step towards them. It was time that they met back up with Dante and Nero," I searched for her once before when she disappeared all those years ago. I think it's time I did so again."

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some big revelations in this chapter! Heck yea! One of the biggest requests was to tackle this topic, and I think we were all on the same page here! As always, I look forward to discussing this chapter in the comments, and I hope you like the chapter! I feel like this will spark some quality conversation lol! It's nice to have this whole week's chapters finished by Wednesday morning for once! Time to get a head start on next week. As always, I hope you had a great weekend, and I hope to see you next week. Take care!


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Simplicity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I'd love to know what you all think of the beach ark so far! I'm having a blast writing it, so I hope you've enjoyed it so far!

Chapter Fourteen: Simplicity

(-~-)

A hush fell over the quaint seaside sitting area that the pair found themselves under as they resigned themselves to silence, their minds and hearts heavy from the matter at hand. As the salty mist provided by the bay coated the pair in much needed moisture to help combat the sun's blistering rays, a gentle breeze picked up and shook the ancient tree they sat under. There was a certain level of peace and privacy that their surroundings provided them that they would be hard pressed to locate elsewhere, especially considering their proximity to the water. So they took the opportunity to think and clear their heads, safe from the prying eyes of the world around them.

Vergil stood with his back against the tree, his arms wrapped around himself as he pondered his next move. He was not fond of making promises that he couldn't keep, and as such, made a point not to do so. But in truth, he had no idea where to start looking for Vivienne. That trail had gone cold over two decades prior. He actually had more of an idea where Nero's mother might be than anything else, and even that was a longshot. The eldest Son of Sparda would need more information to work off of than he currently possessed if he hoped to actually achieve something worth wild.

This was going to be quite the undertaking.

Over on the bench just a yard or so away, V sat with his elbows against the tops of his thighs, his chin pressed into his cupped palms and he studied the ground in silence. He was far from used to being at such a profound loss for words. With his mastery of the english language notwithstanding, V was proficient in the art of speech despite his antisocial tendencies. So to have absolutely no idea what to say for several minutes on end was rather disconcerting to the young summoner. But despite that, he was determined to do something about that. He just had to sift through the murky pool in his mind and locate the particular topic he wished to discuss with his wayward father. That was proving to be quite the challenge however. And so he failed to progress any further.

The lack of diction between them dragged on for several agonizing minutes before one of them finally found the words to express anything close to what they were thinking about. If there was one thing they shared in that moment, it was a distinct lack of knowledge as to where to start the conversation they both knew they needed to have. V's mother's whereabouts were indeed important, but there was another matter they needed to get to the core of.

"You've grown quite again," Vergil said with an inaudible sigh, now sure that this might be one of the only aspects of his son's personality that caused him irritation. Testing the waters with his eldest child was not something he desired to do, but he was going to do so regardless. " Clearly you have something more you wish to discuss. I figured as much when I agreed to speak with you on these matters. Sugarcoating your intentions will get you nowhere. And I suggest you make haste. I suspect we will soon be missed."

V leaned in further towards the ground before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. He exhaled slowly, opening his eyes with the same lack of urgency he his respiratory process possessed. A part of him had waited a lifetime to ask Vergil this, but he'd never been able to make his vocal cords produce the necessary sounds required to say what needed to be said. Perhaps a part of him was worried that Vergil might be insulted? That he might leave him to his devices again? It was a strange hell that V inhabited where he wanted as little involvement with his father as possible, while simultaneously wanting nothing more than to speak with him and then harboring the desire to make him suffer as he had made him suffer in tandem with those same feelings. It boiled down to a situation where he had no idea what emotions and impulses to actually act on, it the metaphysical war of attrition wagering within him kept him at a stalemate that he had a difficult time bypassing. There were times when his entire existence felt like a cruel joke, and this was one of them.

"... Do you have any idea what it's like to wait for someone to return every day for your entire life only to finally encounter them and immediately be tossed aside?" For perhaps the first time ever, V made direct eye contact with Vergil as he spoke to him. There was a certain fire that flickered in his eyes, indicating to Vergil that he was being quite serious." I am unsure as to whether or not I possess the capacity to forgive something like that, but a part of me attempts to every time that I am near you. I have yet to succeed. And I have no meaningful answer as to why that is. Maybe you can… enlighten me."

The eldest Son of Sparda had to do a mental doubletake to assess whether or not he was talking to his normally non confrontational offspring. To be entirely honest, that was the sort of blunt, no nonsense response that he expected to receive from his youngest child. Being told by V that he wasn't sure he could ever forgive him was as unexpected as it was brutal and crushing, and he wasn't entirely surprised or sure as to why that cut him so deeply. He had assumed as much in the case of both of his sons. But when it came to his classically inclined child, nothing was ever simple, not least his feelings towards him. V had been the subject or motivation behind many of his shortcomings over the last few decades, but that was to no fault of his own. He had been an autonomous being, going about his own life and perseverance in spite of his own struggles. Vergil would never sink low enough to pin the blame on him for his own decisions. But he would be lying if he said he didn't contribute to Vergil's motivation to do some of the foolish things he had done. At this point, he could only hope that V was still willing to give him the chance to not be the man he already assumed he was. 

He had to show him that he was not beyond redemption. 

But how to do that when he had been largely responsible for so much of the evil and pain inflicted upon him over the years? Where to start?

Vergil allowed his arms to fall back down against his sides, his posture shifting as he stepped away from the tree and migrated over to the opposite end of the bench where the young summoner currently sat. There couldn't have been more than five feet between them, a fact that V seemed to silently note as he looked down towards the ground in an effort to avoid the frustration and anxiety that was threatening to penetrate the very core of his being. He looked relatively calm and collected on the outside, but he was practically screaming on the inside. And Vergil could tell that just by looking at him, a fact that V was aware of but was unable to reconcile. He both loved and hated this facet of his father's personality. Vergil was very good at reading him. Maybe too much for his own good.

"You have no incentive to do so," Vergil said quietly, his voice trailing off as he made an effort to not betray the internal conflict surging within him. He suddenly felt an immense desire to kill something. He would have to find something to occupy his time this evening." Let me give you one. I owe that to both of you, I suppose."

As he spoke, Vergil's gaze traveled to the side slightly. The distant look in his eyes told V everything he needed to know in regards to who he was referring to. The younger white haired descendant of the Dark Knight Sparda leaned in and locked eyes with his father in an attempt to drive his point home. There would be no mistaking his intentions.

"Then prove that to me. I believe in the actions of those around me, not the empty promises they fail to keep" V said firmly, his temperament unwavering and his gaze unflinching. For a brief moment, Vergil knew what it was like for other people when they spoke to him. It was like looking in a mirror, and he wasn't sure he liked what he saw there; what he'd left there. V's gaze cut through him like a plasma cutter through soft steel, never relenting. He knew definitively that this was the only chance V was capable of giving him, and that it was a leap of faith that he didn't make lightly. His son was choosing to take him at his word; to trust him unconditionally. That was not something he could just push aside and hope to achieve at his leisure. Whatever V asked of him was now a priority.

"Very well, then. Tell me what you want from me. What are you asking me to do?" Vergil said, returning the intensity that V was inadvertently sending him. There was no hostility present in their exchange, only the pain that came from the vulnerability and trust they were attempting to convey to one another.

For a moment, V looked away, blinking heavily as if flinching away from what it was he wished to say. After a moment of looking idly at the traffic to the left side of them, a sad, almost pained smile crossed his face. It was a fleeting and fragile thing, nearly imperceptible and small. But it carried the weight of a lifetime of suffering with it. Vergil couldn't help but wonder what weighed so heavily upon V's consciousness; what skellingtons slumbered in the dark recesses of his mind. Anyone who looked him in the eyes could see the truth in the pain that lingered in them. Perhaps that was why he avoided eye contact with others. After all, the eyes were the windows to the soul. And the soul that Vergil caught a glimpse of everytime he looked into them was one that had suffered enough in the short time that it had existed to last a lifetime. He would do what he could to mend that. That was what he was supposed to do. And that's what his father would have done if their positions were switched. He would honor the example set before him and rectify the mistakes of his past, even if he was just doing so in the smallest of ways.

"Great things are done when men and mountains meet." 

Their favorite poet had said that once. How right he had been.

"... I want the same thing now that I've wanted from you my entire life," V locked eyes with him again, the green orbs now slightly glossier than they had been mere moments ago. He had lost none of his intensity, something he shared with both of his parents," I just want you to care that I exist. I think Nero would appreciate that as well. Don't push us aside. As it stands, you're the only parent we have. Treat us like we matter to you. I've never experienced that, and I'm willing to bet that Nero hasn't either. Can you do that?"

Vergil nodded so slightly that it was almost totally missable, but V picked up upon it. Although brief in the grand scheme of things, he and Dante had known the love of their parents and had spent meaningful time with them. But be it intentionally or not, he had deprived both of his sons the care and attention they deserved from him. He could not speak for the motivations both of their mothers had possessed when they had chosen to remove themselves from their lives, but he could speak for himself. And he could admit that he should have been there. A part of him could care less if he'd known that Nero existed or not. Those were precious moments that he would never get to experience with them. He couldn't get them back, but he could stop squandering the opportunity that he currently possessed.

"Yes. Yes, I could. "How fortunate that the one thing V seemed to want from him was the one thing he had already planned to give him." I will speak with Nero. We have much to discuss. In the meantime, we should join the others. Dante will soon devize some convoluted plan to disturb us if we do not. There are too many witnesses for me to enact a proper revenge plot if he does so, and I have no plans to forfeit victory to him."

V nodded. Vergil was more than likely correct. He would go with him to join the others. His butt was starting to get sore from sitting on the slats on the bench anyway.

(-~-)

A wave of disbelief passed over the girls as Kyrie stood before them. Patty gaped, her hands clasped together and pulled tightly against her chest as she bobbed up and down in place. The young blond was absolutely thrilled to death by what they had just accomplished. Nico stood next to her, shaking her head in quiet disbelief. A part of her was admittedly irritated that she didn't have some sort of camera that she could use to document this priceless moment for all eternity, but she was more than a little bit sure that Kyrie was happy that wasn't the case. There could be no proof that she had ever done this. Rumors were enough.

Lady and Trish were just as shocked as their cohorts, but Trish just stared in disbelief and shock while Lady cackled like an immature schoolgirl. They were so angry that they hadn't dragged Nero along for this little shopping trip. But, to be fair, there was no way that they would have gotten Kyrie into such a sexy little number with him present. The poor girl already looked like she was going to drop dead from shock and anxiety just standing in the store dressing room.

"Well… h-how do I l-look everyone? Do I look okay?" She asked meekly, too embarrassed and put off by all the staring eyes to really know how to process their feedback. She wasn't accustomed to wearing a swimsuit, let alone a halter top styled one. Sparda above, she had to be out of her mind for agreeing to do this.

"You have to wear that to the beach, Kyrie," Lady said, tipping her sunglasses. The young brunette looked absolutely adorable in the simple blue and white polka dot swimsuit, and they would die before they missed the opportunity to knock the wind and the willpower out of Nero's body. Quite possibly his legs, too. He would drop dead at the sight of her.

"You look adorable. Lady is right." Trish said, giving her a gentle pat on the shoulder. She could tell that the young songstress needed reassurance. She wasn't as confident as them when it came to these sorts of things. A surefire side effect of her upbringing and environment. While things were becoming more modern and less stuffy in Fortuna, it was a slow battle that would take years to see meaningful progress. Everyone was too stuck in their ways for immediate change. 

Kyrie blushed harder. She wasn't used to being in anything that wasn't a long sleeve. She knew that how she was reacting was probably silly, but she simply couldn't help herself. As she considered the kind words of her companions, Patty pulled the ponytail holder off of her own hair and allowed her hair to fall down against her shoulders and back. She then pulled Kyrie's hair up into a messy bun and bound it into place, stepping back to admire her work. The girls all giggled like teenage cheerleaders in a cheesy sitcom and ushered the young brunette over to a mirror that was near to them, eager to show her just how cute she looked in the outfit they had picked out for her. She took a moment to adjust the ruffle one piece bathing suite and fix her hair slightly before putting on a brave face and turning back towards her friends. She trusted their judgement. They would never do something unbecoming to her. It wasn't in them.

"Do… Do you really think I look good in this?" She asked earnestly, allowing her hands to fall down against her sides before taking a deep breath. Kyrie had to admit that a part of her did in fact find the article of clothing they'd picked out for her adorable, but she wasn't sure if it was for her. It seemed like something that would look better on any of the other girls she was with. After all, wasn't she too… plain for something like this? She didn't have patty's golden blonde hair, Lady's stunning heterochromia, or Trish's… well, everything. And Then there was Nico. As far as she was concerned, everything about her meant that something like this was better suited for her. She had tattoos after all. She wasn't bashful about displaying her art to the world around her. Kyrie wasn't sure if she fit into this kind of group or this kind of outfit, even if Nero never shut up about how wonderful and lovely she was. She just didn't know what all these beautiful people saw in her.

The group standing before her seemed to clue into her apprehension. Nico wrapped her arms around her shoulders, squeezing her tightly. "Now you listen here, lil missy. You're just as cute as the rest of us, and don't ya dare think otherwise!"

Patty planted her hands on her hips firmly, nodding in approval. Her face was as serious as it was compassionate. "I agree with Nico, Kyrie! You're wonderful! Why do you think we love to hang out with you so much, you silly nilly? We all see how pretty you are. Every single one of us. There's different types of pretty, you know? Don't compare yourself to us. Just be you, Kyrie! You're great already!"

Kyrie blinked away the moisture that had begun to form in her large brown doe eyes, flustered by the compliments and kindness she was being showered in. Her friends were right! She was pretty, and so was the outfit they had picked out for her! She was going to show it to Nero, or die trying. With a determined nod, she smiled, putting on a brave face. She was going to have fun on this vacation, and no one was going to stop her. And if they did, she had a posse comprised of the toughest girls around to back her up. It was going to be okay.

"You know what… your right! I do look pretty," Kyrie beamed brightly, her smile returning as she nodded in conformation," Let's buy it. I can't wait to show it to Nero and see what he thinks!"

The girls nodded and ushered her towards the counter before she could come to her senses. They were positive they couldn't talk her into this a second time, so there was no room for error. They had to get a receipt in their hands before she snapped out of whatever spell she had just fallen under, and get her outside in the sand. Time was of the essence.

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this continuation of what was going on in the last chapter! Kyrie needed a little pick me up with other girls, damn it! She never gets to feel pretty XD Stay safe out there, and I'll see you on Friday! I look forward to reading your thoughts on things so far! You're all wonderful!


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Lessons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Ah yes. Here I am starting work on this chapter at 7:03 am after spacing out for about eight hours. How does that even happen?! Like, how do you daydream for that long and not think about anything?! GAH! As a result of that and a looming delivery from IKEA today (I get to put together furniture, yay!) This will be a shorter chapter than the last one, but the next one will be normal 3k+ length. Thanks for your understanding and feedback, and sorry about that! Life is wild right now.

Chapter Fifteen: Lessons

(-~-)

With every passing moment, the sun seemed to grow brighter as it's scorching rays cut a swath through the atmosphere and scorched the earth below. Heat was one of those things that was difficult to escape, even in the cooler parts of the world like where they currently were. The region was going through an unprecedented heat wave, so being indoors with air conditioning was the best way to spend your day. But the beach was a close second. Cool water lapped up against the sandy edges of the embankment, washing all manner of shells, pebbles, and seaweed up against the sandy outcropping. It was as if the sandy shores of the local beach were a filter for the water itself, pulling away any impurities and debre. In all honesty, it wasn't all that far-fetched of an idea. Nature works in mysterious ways, after all.

As the sun reached its peak in the sky above them, the children retreated to the shallows in search of entertainment and comfort, all the while being watched over by their adoptive father. Carlo was unable to swim, so he settled for dipping his toes in the water and building a simply dreadful sandcastle; one that Nero felt compelled to praise out of his obligations as a father. He knew he was trying quite hard with his little bucket and pale to make something worth wild, but he hadn't arrived at his destination quite yet. Perhaps in time the small child would hone his skills and create something that met his exacting standards, but for now, it was just a lump of dirt that wouldn't stand up straight due to the fact that Carlo didn't understand the concept of lifting the bucket straight up instead of pulling it sideways. Honestly, it was quite charming.

Nero scoffed in amusement as he watched the tiny curly haired boy struggle, making an effort not to laugh at him. He looked about two seconds from bashing the lumpy structure down with his tiny shovel. Just then, a stray wave washed in, soaking the poor boy and completely flattening the source of his frustration. He went wide eyes and pouted, clearly disproportionately disappointed. It hadn't been great, but it had been his. And now it was gone forever, along with any aspirations of becoming an architect in the future. Truly a tragedy the world would never recover from.

Clearly aware that his youngest child needed his assistance, Nero crossed the few feet that separated them and scooped up the squirming child, hauling him back towards the dryer part of the sand where he was sitting. Nero didn't mind the head that much, so he had plopped down just ten short feet away from the water's edge. It gave the children more than enough room to play, but assured his ability to gain access to them in an emergency. Once Carlo had been plopped down onto the sand gain, Nero borrowed his little bucket and demonstrated the proper sand castle making technique. After packing sand into the bucket, he turned it upside down and then lifted it up at the correct angle, making sure to do so at a speed that the young boy could comprehend.

"You have to lift it straight up like this," Nero said, sitting down on the sand and demonstrating the proper speed, angle, and hand movement required. He couldn't help but laugh to himself slightly at how small the bucket was in his hands compared to Carlo's." Here, let me see your hands.

Understanding the fact that guiding him through the process might be more efficient, Nero waited for his son's small hands to grasp the bucket before covering them with his own and guiding him through the process. Carlo giggles as the bucket lifts to reveal an intact sand mound. As far as the little boy was concerned, this was magic, plain and simple. Was Nero some sort of wizard?

Arriving right on time, V carefully made his way past the pair, stopping for a moment to take in the scene before him. He stared, and eyebrow raising as he tried to comprehend what his younger brother was doing. Nero glanced in his direction, suddenly very aware of how silly he probably looked holding Carlo's tiny arms up in the air with a bucket in his grasp as the child giggled crazily. V probably thought he'd lost his mind. But, to his surprise, V shot him a genuinely pleased half smile, closing his eyes for a moment. The young summoner nodded in approval before sparing Carlo a gentle wave. He then turned his attention back to walking steadily on the shifting sands that threatened to buckle around him. 

V's balance was unsteady at the best of times, but sand was another whole level of hazard for him. He was actually slightly anxious. While he was sure he wouldn't harm himself if he fell on such a soft surface, he would look totally helpless and clumsy, especially since the children were getting around just fine. He didn't want the other's to worry about him. He wanted Nero to spend time with his children. This was the first time he'd ever seen him have so much fun with them. He liked seeing them all together like this. Perhaps knowing that the little ones had something he never had the chance to brought him some sort of satisfaction. Despite never having one, family was something he cherished. Nero and Kyrie had given the children the chance that no one had given him, and he admired them for that.

For a moment, a part of him wondered if he would ever take on such a role.

It was very unlikely, but he would entertain the idea. Maybe it would be…

It was best not to dwell on aspirations and desires he could act upon, at least not for the moment. He would revisit this later, when he was in the proper mindset. For now, he was going to sit down and rest. Walking across that short segment of sand had been strangely tiring to him. At times, he was subtly reminded that he wasn't exactly himself yet. He had only been back about two weeks. According to Magnolia, it could be upwards of a month or two before he was back to the condition he'd been in before the Redgrave incident. The way he felt most days made him open to adding another month to that estimate. He'd always been quick to physically recover, but slow to regain his energy. Thankfully he didn't use very much of it. But being so profoundly drained for extended periods of time wasn't something he wanted to grow accustomed to. Living in a state of constant borderline exhausting was not how he planned to carry out his existence. But for now, he had no choice but to take it easy. It wasn't like he was going to go swimming after all…

No way in hell was he going in the water.

A moment later, Vergil arrived, somehow just as steady on sand as he was on every other surface. Maybe that was the product of spending so much of his time in rough terrain, or just Vergil's general level of grace and coordination. It was hard to say. But it was strange to see someone traverse such a shifty surface with little to no effort. The older devil slayer glanced in the direction of his youngest son, seemingly noting that he was attempting to demonstrate how to build a sand castle to the young boy. Vergil folded his arms loosely around his chest, giving Nero a curious but almost amused look. Nero raised an eyebrow, half expecting Vergil to say something unapologetic or disapproving. But he didn't. There wasn't a hint of irritation or disappointment in his demeanor. In a way, he almost seemed to like what Nero was doing, at least from what he could tell. He simply schoffed softly and turned towards V, tossing him his shoulder bag.

Clearly taken off guard by this due to the fact that he was in the process of sitting down, V caught it but stumbled back and flopped onto his back uselessly. He let out a discontent sigh and huffed, obviously not pleased that he was now covered in sand. He pushed the bag to the side and sat up slowly, brushing himself off. He flicked the fine sand particles out of his hair and then turned his attention to the bag, unzipping it and unpacking it. Nero and Vergil watched in silent confusion as he somehow produced a full sized beach towel and a large standing umbrella from within the confines of the bag. He stuck the shade casting device in the sand and unrolled the towel, opting to sit on it. He then produced a pillow and a book, taking the time to place it so that he could lay on it by propping his elbows up on the sand facing the water. Once in the correct position, he opened the book and presumably began reading it, only to stop a short moment later when he felt the collective eyes of everyone present on him. He shot his brother and father a baffled look, genuinely unsure of how he managed to garner their attention in the first place.

"You both look at me as though you've never seen a beach umbrella before." V said quietly. He wasn't sure what they wanted from him, but he found their confusion as confusing as they probably found whatever he'd done confusing.

Nero glanced between Vergil and V, Opening his mouth and holding out his index finger as though he was going to point and ask something, but then closing his mouth and lowering his hand at the last moment. The umbrella made perfect sense, but how he had managed to get all of that into such a snug bad sure as hell didn't. Vergil looked down for a moment and chuckled to himself under his breath, repressing the urge to roll his eyes as he shook his head slightly. "I suppose that explains why that bag weighs more than you do wet. Am I to take it that you don't exactly enjoy the heat, then?"

The youngest of the trio of descendants snickered. What the fuck?

V nodded, waving passively." My completion and the sun have long since been bitter enemies, but the umbrella is a new addition. I discovered it while I was out with Nico yesterday." He glanced around in the general direction of the beach, obviously searching for something he didn't see." Where is everyone else? I could've sworn Dante was here just a moment ago."

To the surprise of basically everyone present, Carlo stood up and pointed towards the water where the other children were playing. Sure enough, his two older brothers were in the process of trying to drown the youngest Son of Sparda. Nero shook his head, unsure of how he felt about that, but willing to let them continue for the time being considering what Dante had recently done to him. He was still a little wet. The small child then stood up and toddled over to Vergil, tugging on the cuff of his sleeve. Only Vergil would wear what was basically a dress shirt to the beach. It was as close to "casual" as he was ever going to get. And it had to be blue. That was non negotiable.

"Grandpa! I miss you!" The little child said as he hugged his leg, jumping up and down in excitement.

Vergil could literally feel himself age about fifteen years from that statement alone. He suddenly felt the age he actually was for once and felt a profound desire to be somewhere else. This child was his grandchild, wasn't he. How in the  _ hell _ had that happened?! He hesitantly patted the small child on the head, clearly uncomfortable with his entire existence in that moment. "... Yes… thank you, child."

(-~-)

As it stood, the girls had yet to return from their shopping trip. Some sort of snack vendor had passed by a short while ago, so everyone had opted to grab something. Nero had joined V under the umbrella after succeeding defeat right after that. While he didn't sunburn nearly as easily as his pale complexioned older sibling, he still didn't tan. And to top it off, Kyrie had used all of the sun screen on the children before they'd left the hotel. Staying in the shade was probably a good idea, at least for now.

"So… are we going to discuss the ulterior motive behind why you decided to buy a giant bucket and fill it with water when no one was looking, Nero? Or were you hoping to catch me unawares?" V said casually as he sipped the drink he'd acquired. Raspberry iced tea was literally never a bad choice.

Nero laughed at the statement. "Nope, were just going to throw this on Vergil when he's not looking. I'm pretty sure he's just staring off into space right now. Might be our best bet."

V shot him a slightly wide eyed look, clearly disturbed by the prospect of the plan he'd somehow been included in without his express permission. "... Has the salt water short circuited your brain, or do you just possess a death wish?" V said breathlessly in a hushed tone. He spoke as though he were trying to persuade someone to reconsider a suicide mission." He will not take that well."

The younger of the two shrugged, indifferent. " I mean, he can't kill us  _ both _ , can he? He's never gonna see it coming. I'm going for it."

With that, Nero jumped up and grabbed the large bucket of water, making his way across the sand. V carefully stood up and made his way across the sand behind him, not entirely sure as to what he intended to do in this situation. To some degree, he actually wanted to help Nero with his plan. But the sensible side of his subconscious couldn't help but inform him that this was a lousy idea liable to get them both murdered in front of Nero's children. Nero noticed that he was pursuing him and stopped, waiting for him to catch up. V had practically sprinted after him, and was clearly out of breath and off balance.

"W-what are you hoping to achieve by doing this?" He asked, taking a few deep breaths as he attempted to steady himself.

Nero stuck the other end of the huge bucket out to him as if offering it to him. "Nothing, V. I'm just fucking with him. Live a little. Or can you not lift the bucket? Because-"

V held his hand up, shushing him. He then gave him an unreadable look before closing his eyes and sighing. A wicked smirk passed across his face as he shook his head and opened his eyes slowly, grasping the other end of the handle. Yes. They were absolutely going to die here. But at least it would be for something stupid. He'd always figured that would be how he went. Pointlessly as a direct result of his own stupidity and hubris.

The pair quietly and slowly closed the distance between themselves and Vergil. He was sitting no further than five feet from the shoreline, seemingly daydreaming or dozing off. It was honestly hard to tell. He'd been like that for a while, more than likely thinking about something originally, but now content to allow his mind to wander. It seemed like he was actually trying to relax for once. It was strange to see Vergil so quiet and at ease.

And then they tipped the bucket and a wall of cold salt water slammed into the back of him.

Practically Instantaneously, the entire atmosphere around him became electrified as he went from a sitting to standing position to fast for their eyes to detect. He faced them, radiating what could only be described as the white hot intensity of a thousand suns. V visibly paled and a look of immediate regret passed across Nero's face as they faced down their father. He was really starting to wish he'd taken V's advice and sat his ass down on the beach towel under the umbrella where he was safe. Now his children were going to have to watch him get maimed and possibly murdered. Again.

In an action that only intensified the nauseous feeling in the pit of V's stomach, Vergil actually laughed. V had no idea that his father was capable of even doing that, and the fact that he honestly couldn't tell if he found what they'd done funny or if he was planning to break every bone in his body made every millisecond physically painful. Vergil reached out and rested a hand on each of their shoulders, still laughing while facing down at the ground. It was at this point that the two of them shared a tentative glance at one another, considering the option of sharing their final goodbyes. Yea. Vergil was one hundred percent about to disembowel them.

Before either of them could blink, Nero went flying back across the sand, smacking his head against the umbrella stand about fifteen feet away. He considered getting up, but decided that laying there and playing dead might actually be a good idea for once. After all, the last time Vergil had thrown him across a room, he'd sat up only to find himself short an arm. Yes, his head did feel like a raging hornet's nest and his back felt like he'd just been waxed with sandpaper, but he still had all of his limbs. That was an improvement. 

V watched the scene unfold, trying to register how Vergil had done that with one hand and silently hoping that he didn't decide to repeat it on him. He was a lot less… resistant to damage than Nero was. He could practically feel his shoulder dislocating just thinking about it. For a brief moment, he and Vergil shared eye contact and Vergil gave him an almost sarcastically reassuring pat on his shoulder, squeezing slightly but not in any way that he found harmful. The oldest Son of Sparda then turned his attention in the opposite direction as if something had caught his eye before nonchalantly shoving V in the direction of the water. He lurched to the side and violently spiraled towards the shoreline, yelping in a combination of terror and surprise as he slammed face first into the water with an impact velocity that would have made a speedboat green with envy and a car accident seem mild. All the air left his lungs as he sank beneath the waves about ten feet off shore, having been launched a good fifteen feet effortlessly. Vergil then smirked in satisfaction as he walked in the direction of his perplexed twin. It seemed that the others had just returned. After taking a few steps in their direction, he stopped. A thought had just occurred to him in that moment.

Why hadn't V gotten up yet?

…

…  _ Oh no. _

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it didn't end up shorter after all! Funny how that works sometimes! I fell asleep, woke up, and got this taken care of. Kinda happy with myself right now. Can't wait to see you next Wednesday for chapter sixteen. Looks like Nero is in for quite the surprise. Also, your comments cracked me up and made my whole day. Let's just hope Vergil doesn't come to regret what he just did. They should have seen that coming though. Don't poke a sleeping tiger lol! Also my dumb ass has been using HTML instead rich text on A03 this whole fucking time! Guess I know why italics and bold hasn't been working well now! FFS!


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Vacuum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Potential trigger warning for nearly drowning, maybe? Super probably not, but still. I'd rather play it safe. It's probably just fine considering my own personal experiences (in plural FML), but I can't speak for everyone. But I tend to be super descriptive, so I just thought I'd say something just in case it applies to someone. It's probably fine though. It's not graphic. Feel free to skip any part of the story that you find uncomfortable at any time, but I'd love to know if I do something that upsets you so that I can do better in the future. Even if it's through a PM or anon comment. Sorry about that!

Chapter Sixteen: Vacuum

  
  


(-~-)

For a brief, fleeting moment, the weight of the world fell away and everything became weightless; omitting, of course, the pressure of the water that suspended him upon impact and that now aided his gradual sinking towards the depths of the sandy bottom. The feeling of the crushing and unrelenting, yet pliable and motionless water took him by surprise, as meer seconds ago, he'd been standing upright on the beach, repressing the all consuming urge to tremble in terror from anticipation. He's expected Vergil to do  _ something _ but this wasn't at all what he'd expected. V didn't know  _ what _ he thought would happen, but this wasn't it.

It had taken V debatable longer that it should've to come to the realization that he was under water. Perhaps the force of the impact he had jarred his senses to the point where he couldn't properly decipher his surroundings. Or perhaps he just couldn't tell that all the air had left his lungs. Either way, he had sunk quite a ways down before he'd figured out that he was actually submerged, and he wasn't entirely sure why his brain was incapable of reacting like he'd normally expect. He'd actually felt more in control of his surroundings when he's been in the void he involuntarily ventured to before he'd recovered Griffon and Shadow.

Griffon and Shadow…

He suddenly registered that the little voice inside of his head that he couldn't shake was his loyal avian companion. Shadow didn't speak, at least not to him. He assumed that she tried to from time to time, but if she was attempting to do so, he couldn't comprehend anything she was trying to impart upon him. So for a moment he continued to float, unsure of what to do. He  _ knew _ what to do, but his mind lacked the sense of urgency he knew he should possess, so his limbs continued to dangle uselessly below him. And it felt like ages had passed like that as the light became more and more faint. 

V knew that he should be worried. That he should be scrabbling uselessly towards the surface. But he couldn't muster the mental energy to do so. Was this what having a concussion felt like, or was it just all the water in his ears that made everything seem so still and quiet? Perhaps it was the fact that he was probably low on oxygen. He could only assume that was what it was. Or maybe it was the realization that he couldn't actually swim that led to the eerie stillness that he was experiencing. Had his brain just thrown in the towel and decided to leave him to his fate. That was entirely possible, all things considered. His mind often actively worked against him. It could be… problematic, much like the situation he currently found himself in.

"Oh for- what the fuck are you doing?! You do realize that you're still semi conscious, right? That you're totally drowning right now?!"

Despite the fact that his brain registered the fact that Griffon was speaking to him, he didn't have the clarity of mind to actually respond. It wasn't that he didn't want to, it was that he was quite literally unable to part the clouds that hung over his cognitive functions and just ask his familiars for help. Now that he thought about it, would they be able to act without his direct permission? He's never really experimented with that. V's connection with them was incredibly tight. They just sort of acted as an extension of himself. He gave them verbal commands, but at the end of the day, he already knew what they were going to do before they actually did it because it was his will that drove their actions. What were they supposed to do if he didn't have the cognitive ability to command them to do something about this situation? Griffon couldn't very well swim under water, could he? Did he even have enough strength left to summon one of them? He didn't feel weak so much as he didn't feel anything. V was totally and utterly stunned, and he was aware of it, but he was still willing to do something about it. The problem was that no other part of his body was. Being semi conscious was strangely exhausting.

His mind regressed to the first time he'd used Nightmare. To the strange out of body experience he'd endured back then. Despite the fact that he'd been nearly dead and probably in a light coma, he had been able to discern that fact for himself. The pages of his book had been totally blank as if his brain didn't have the processing power to render the words he knew should be there since he'd looked at them a thousand times before. The void he'd found himself in had been like that. And being under water felt the very same way. It was… troubling. He was sure he had felt this feeling once before, a lifetime ago. It had been ages before he'd encountered Nightmare for the first time. Had he been a teenager at the time? No, further back. Much further back. Something he'd buried deep within his own mind. Something so deep that he couldn't recall it. Only the sensation he'd experienced.

There was the sound of rushing water. The gurgling sensation that pared so well with the suction caused by the air vacating his ears and lungs. A pressure he'd felt back then that was greater than the force of the water. He had been perfectly capable of standing up on his own. His balance had been perfect. What had happened to him when he'd been so young? Why had his brain repressed this? What…

Suddenly it came rushing back, making impact with his body harder than the water's surface had. An emotion he didn't feel very often and hoped to never feel in such a quantity again. V remembered why he didn't know why to swim. He remembered why he had instinctively avoided the water as though it would reach out and snatch him towards the depths, never to be seen again. The sound returned to his ears, the burning sensation in his lungs gripped him like the heat of Inferno itself, and the cognitive function suddenly roared back to him with a vengeance. 

And it had all been restored by a level of shear, unadulterated, mind blanking terror.

In that instant, he wished from the bottom of his heart that he could forget again.

Before his body could even fathom a response, he sifted through the subconscious corridors of his previously blank mind, pulling a probably escape plan from the depths. Griffon couldn't swim, of that he was sure. But Shadow was a being composed of darkness itself, untethered to the laws of things as petty as oxygen and pressure and formless until otherwise given shape. He didn't need Griffon this time. He needed his decidedly feline companion.

"We need to go up. Now."

His mind practically screamed the command, his brain echoing despite the total lack of sound. His head spun and his ears rang as his body suddenly jolted in a direction he couldn't discern, rocketing away with a level of force so strong that every last remaining molecule of air evacuated his lungs and set his mind alight. It was so dark that he genuinely couldn't tell if he was going up or down; if his eyes were open or closed. He could be facing the sun or plummeting towards the depths and his subsequent death. The second outcome was quite plausible. Be it the water or his bodily functions beginning to cease, an unearthly chill crawled up his body as Shadow shot through the water with a speed that put her shadow slide ability to shame. It was as if she had become the very water around him as she headed towards her destination. And with every passing second, his unsourceable, unseizing panic rose to a vicious level, his circulatory system firing on all cylinders despite the fact that his blood was starved for oxygen and his brain was running on empty.

Yes, this was it, wasn't it? This was what death felt like.

He hadn't gotten the chance to experience it before, his demise had been too abrupt.

But he felt it now. And he was willing to do whatever it took to avoid it at all costs.

V's brain had little time to process anything further before all motion came to an abrupt end, his body jolting to a bone shattering stop as he was snatched to the surface. Air and sunlight hit him with a force he hardly recognized as possible, and he took a second to try and process what the hell was going on before the opportunity was snatched around him. The water fled his ears and his lungs instinctively reinflated in response to the change in ambient pressure as he flailed slightly, unable to blink away the staggering level of darkness he seemed to be trapped in. The only thing he could really feel was something gripping him with an unrelenting amount of force, like a concrete pillar in a hurricane standing as a bastion while the earth parted around it. V reached upwards (at least from what he could tell) and grasped it, the ability to blink and breath returning to him all at once. And as he shuddered from the combined sensation of the blistering midday sunshine and the sweet euphoria produced by the flow oxygen reuniting with his circulatory system, he blinked heavily and all sight came flooding back to his pupils at once, nearly blinding him all over again.

And it was then that he realized that Vergil had him by the back of the shirt and he in turn had what amounted to a death grip on his father's arm, delivering enough force to probably shatter the bones of a mortal man. Vergil's semi perplexed, mostly breathless facial expression summed up his extreme reaction to him with no words required. His body was running on autopilot, and he wasn't entirely sure what he was actually doing (if anything) to aid his recovery from what he had just experienced, but of two things he was certain. Vergil and Shadow had just saved him, and he now remembered why he was terrified of large bodies of water. And the second one he would have preferred to stay buried as far down as possible.

It seemed that his past experiences had gained the upper hand yet again.

(-~-)

Nero had blushed a gobsmacking shade of red when his brain had finally registered that Kyrie had changed her outfit. He had been so utterly mortified by the split second realization that V probably hadn't resurfaced due to an inability to swim that he hadn't even noticed the others rejoin the rest of the group. She and the others hadn't seen what had just happened and, as such, had been shocked to return to such a tense atmosphere. Never in his entire life had he regretted pulling a prank on another person so much as he did this one. Not by a long shot. But as V had been pulled from beneath the waived and Shadow had lunged at Vergil in a misguided attempt to protect her master, he'd let out the breath that he hadn't realized he was holding. They just couldn't have a fun family vacation, could they? 

And unlike the other times his extremely damaged father was basically entirely to blame for the chaos unfolding, he was at fault as well. Had he realized that Vergil would react in the way that he had? No. Did he assume things would probably take a turn? Yes.

But he had no idea that Vergil would toss his older, more fragile sibling in the ocean, and neither of them had any idea that V couldn't swim. And this had most certainly been one of the worst ways they could've found out. Kyrie's new stylistic choice was equally shocking to him in a totally different way, one that he couldn't quite find the words to describe. He literally couldn't figure out how the cute bathing suit made him feel, especially given the context of it's reveal. And when Vergil had practically towed V to the shore and waited for him to release the shock induced death grip that he had on him, only for the young summoner to slide back first into the sand and begin to attempt to stop hyperventilating by covering his face with his eyes and shivering from the sensory overload induced vertigo that he was probably suffering from, Nero's brain had practically crashed like an old broken down computer.

The fact that he'd contributed to something so distressing and painful to watch unfold was physically and emotionally crushing to him. He'd never meant to be the catalyst to something so dreadful. It had never even crossed his mind that something like this could happen.

He had officially been put off of pranks for the remainder of his adult life. But Kyrie's bathing suit? That was a different story entirely. He wanted her to put that on as much as possible. Nero considered her stunning regardless of what she was wearing (or not wearing), but this was something his idle mind had never strayed into conjuring up, and was illogical pissed about that. As soon as he knew for certain that V wasn't going to literally die again, he was going to have to address the sudden onset of salacious reverence he was now experiencing. How was he supposed to cope with knowing that he lived in a world where something like this was possible but he'd never even considered it an option? His mind was being pulled in far too many directions simultaneously, and none of them were very healthy for him. He would have to revisit this shortly.

But first, he needed to figure out what the hell had just happened to V.

And then they needed to talk.

(-~-)

To the surprise of practically no one aside from the young children who had no way of truly comprehending what the hell had just happened, V had quietly retired to the hotel after he had regained control of Shadow. The hyper pissed off panther had been ready to disembowel literally anyone who came within viewing distance of V, and that wasn't very good for keeping a low profile. He had vacated the scene wordlessly, totally unsure of what to say or do about what he had just endured, and not a single one of them even knew where to start. Simply asking if he was alright didn't cross most of their minds due to the panic that they had all collectively felt in that moment in time, and for the ones that did consider this, the simple gesture didn't seem nearly profound enough. 

Vergil had quietly shadowed V back to the hotel after allowing ample room to settle between them. While he didn't doubt that his eldest son knew he was tailing him, he was also aware that not allowing him the proper time to wind down after experiencing something so distressing was probably a surefire way to literally start a magical brawl in the street in full view of the public. That wasn't a good look or a good idea, and it would most certainly end the entire trip early.

Oh, where was their mother or father when he needed his advice on how to handle something like this?

No. It was better that neither Sparda or Eva know of his failures. They were his and his alone. He would not wish to disappoint them. He just knew that his actions would.

After a short while, the rest of the group attempted to go about the rest of their day, but there was an unmistakable blanket of discomfort that settled over them. Nothing about what had just happened seemed like the standard reaction one would have to almost drowning, if such a thing even existed. There was clearly another layer to it, but none of them felt like it was their place to ask. For now, they were just going to give V his space.

That was all they felt they could do…

"Hey Kyrie I… you look nice," Nero said hesitantly, unsure if it was the right time to bring it up. It had been just shy of an hour, and things were winding down from what had happened, but a part of him still felt like it was too soon to change the subject, even if he hadn't spoken since then. "Did the others talk you into it?"

Kyrie nodded, her mind elsewhere as she watched the children from the distance. Since V had left in such a hurry, the umbrella was still there. Nero made a mental note to make sure that someone took the time to bring that back to him. If it got left out overnight, someone would probably make off with it.

"Yes… it is pretty, isn't it? I wasn't sure it was my style, but it's really starting to grow on me. Maybe I'll go shopping with them more often?" She wasn't sure who that question was directed towards, but she asked it all the same.

"Maybe you should. You seemed like you were excited when I saw you before," Nero said as he glanced sparingly between the hotel and the children. Carlo was trying his hardest to teach his two older brothers how to make a sandcastle." I mean, getting out of the house more might be fun! Everyone's enjoying themselves so far…"

Silence settled over them for a moment as he considered his statement. No. That was a lie. As much as he wanted that to be true, there was most certainly one member of the family who wasn't having a very good time at all, and he couldn't' sit here any longer and pretend that wasn't the case. Even if he hadn't been partially involved, he still would've been concerned. But he had been. And while it was a mistake that had been the foreseeable result of what he had assumed to be a relatively harmless prank, things had turned out decidedly less "harmless" in the end. He needed to get a gauge on the damage his idea had caused.

Kyrie seemed to understand exactly what he was thinking. She'd spent over half of her life around Nero. She knew when the gears in his head were turning, and when there was no train in the station. They had all the time in the world to plan their next fun adventure. But right now, Nero needed her to let him go. He couldn't make himself ask. He cared about how she felt too much to do that, even if it was an irrational train of thought born of an escue sense of responsibility to her. She glanced over her shoulder and gave him a lingering, thoughtful look before nodding gently and looking in the direction of the hotel. She was more than happy to wait, especially when it was about something so important.

Nero smiled at her gently and leaned over, giving her a gentle squeeze before planting a small kiss on her forehead. Kyrie really did get him, didn't she? He was never permitted to doubt himself in her presence, and that was something he'd truly come to appreciate over the years. Her unwavering faith in him reassured him that he wasn't half as foolish as he thought he was most days. And he was going to make good on that faith.

"I don't know how long I'll be." Nero said quietly, trying not to draw the attention of the children. Wherever he went, they tended to follow.

The brunette waived him on with a gentle smile. "Were fine, Nero. But he isn't. I think he might need someone right now more than everyone realizes. He just seems so… lonely most of the time. That could just be me, but I don't think I'm wrong. But he's not like that with you. Go see how he's doing."

With a determined nod of his head, the white haired demon hunter released her and stood up, turning to head in the direction of the hotel. She wasn't wrong. He needed to speak with V, and probably Vergil for that matter. He wasn't going to accomplish that sitting here on the beach with her trying to pretend that everything was okay.

"You got it, Kyrie. Sorry to always keep you waiting."

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this chapter was a wild ride. First one I wrote at my new desk. Have to say, the new set up definitely helped me be more productive! Let me know what you guys think! I loved your comments on the last chapter. They made me laugh! I'll see you all on Friday! Take care and stay safe out there!


	17. Chapter Seventeen: Dialogue

Chapter Seventeen: Dialogue

Note: Thanks for your feedback on the last chapter, and sorry that this one is several hours late. It seems that I'm more than capable of writing this chapter four days early, but I'm not very good at not sleeping until well past seven in the afternoon. FML. At least I got Wednesday's chapter done today!

(-~-)

The lights in the lobby were dim, providing a soft backdrop to the approaching sunset that was due to settle across the horizon. The shimmering water glistened like a bed of stars, reflecting the menagerie of colors that had just begun to stretch across the sky. Vibrant oranges and reds were paired with docile blues and purples, while white fluffy clouds seemed to rise from the sea itself, reaching towards the very edge of endless skies like mountains composed of white cotton and snow.

Nero paused for a moment as he placed his hand on the door handle. All he had to do was pull it open and go inside, but he wasn't even sure what he was going to do once he was inside of the building. He knew where he needed to go and why, but he didn't have the slightest idea what he was going to say to V once got there. And he didn't even have the key to the room. While he was positive that he could just knock on the door and ask to be let in, he still didn't have a plan of action. Should he just ask V what was going on and then go from there? It was as good a plan as any at this point. 

It was worth a shot.

With a sigh, Nero pulled the door open and stepped into the building, letting the door go as he scanned the room. In all honesty, he's forgotten what side of the building V's room was on. He knew where he and the children would be sleeping that night, but he hadn't had much of a reason to keep track of where everyone else was, especially since there were two wings to the building. Luckily (or perhaps unluckily depending on who you asked) Nero wasn't actually alone in the room. 

The young demon hunter did a double take as he caught sight of Vergil sitting in a chair relatively close to the stairs. He was flipping through a book, but Nero knew for a fact based solely off of the look on his father's face that he wasn't actually reading it. That entire half of the room radiated a level of discomfort and -was that anxiety- that was practically suffocating, and yet Vergil didn't display any of this on his face. He simply looked… bored as if he found the novel he was flipping through thoroughly uninteresting. Was he actually that adept at hiding his emotions? That would actually explain an awful lot. Maybe Vergil wasn't as emotionless as he had originally guessed.

Well wasn't that a nice big slice of humble pie…

As Nero approached Vergil, he abruptly closed the book with an almost startling snap with not so much as a glance in his direction. He realized then that the older devil slayer had known that he was there from the very second that he had entered the building. Nero had to admit, he was kind pissed at how easily Vergil and V seemed to notice shit like that. And how utterly hard they were to detect in turn. Demons the size of mountains regularly failed to sneak up on him. No problems there. But V walking around his house at night? No dice. That shit scared him literally every time. He'd even managed to sneak up on him in the middle of his fight with Goliath in Redgrave, and he'd been walking around with a metal cane at the time! How the  _ hell _ were they both so incognito? Was it genetic? Because if so, he hadn't inherited that gene. He was perfectly willing to believe that Vergil was just that light on his feet. After all, he was pretty graceful and well coordinated as a general rule. As much as it loathed him to admit it, Vergil just had a way of making difficult shit look effortless? And the easy stuff? Total overkill. 

But V?

Well…

"You're going to tell me that I shouldn't have done that. Clearly I didn't know." Vergil leaned over and placed the book down, hovering over his legs for a moment as he planted his elbows on his knees. He had a distant look on his face as he glanced in his direction as though he had been through this conversation exhaustively and expected such a statement." But regardless… your right. I suppose my response was unwarranted for the most part.

Nero felt a wave of confusion hit him as he literally gave him a sideways look. What had Vergil just said to him? "Yea, I guess. Um… are you okay?"

Vergil shot him a vaguely disapproving, his brow furrowing slightly. Nothing about this situation was humorous to him. "I didn't know you found this predicament entertaining."

The younger demon hunter waived him off, shaking his head. The last thing he needed right now was to get thrown through the front window. If there was one thing he'd figured out it the short time he'd known Vergil it was that he tended to convert any of his negative emotions directly into unbridled rage, a response that he could only assume was involuntary considering that it seemed to directly clash with his otherwise calm, cool, and collected demeanor. Hell, if he was more mellow and less overtly intimidating, he and V could pass off as…

Oh god, were they really that much alike?

It was actually somewhat disconcerting.

"No, no, hey, I don't start. I was being serious! You seem kinda… I donno, upset?" Nero shrugged uncomfortably, unsure of how to describe his intent without seeming purposefully contrary. He wasn't used to really being concerned about Vergil. It was strange." The way I see it, this is both of our faults. I came up with that stupid plan in the firs place. If I hadn't asked him to help me…"

Vergil straightened slightly, giving him a curious look. He didn't seem upset. In fact, his demeanor actually seemed more at ease. It occurred to him that Vergil probably already knew that, but might be surprised that he was actually willing to admit it. He probably wasn't used to that. Or used to having an actual conversation with someone.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that not everything bad you're involved in is entirely your fault, ya know?" Nero said with a sigh. He wasn't sure he was very good at this sort of thing, but he was trying. And he was hoping that Vergil was at least willing to do that much." Look… what are you doing sitting down here? Did you even try talking to him, or did ya just follow him to the hotel?"

The older of the two glanced away for a moment before staring up at the ceiling fan for a moment. He seemed to be considering what Nero had said to him. Was there actually a universe where everything  _ wasn't _ his fault? Did Nero actually think that?

"... Is this about your brother, or about me?" The Darkslayer gave him a serious and unrelenting stare, but it wasn't laced by the cool, barely concealed irritation anger that had been there so frequently when Nero had first encountered him. He'd just asked him a genuine question, and Nero wasn't actually sure what to say to that. He knew what he thought, but how to articulate it? That was a different matter entirely.

"Look… I don't know. Both of you, I guess. What does that have to do with you not going up to talk to him?" Nero said, folding his arms and tilting his head in the direction of the stairs.

Vergil didn't move, but his gaze traveled towards the floor slightly, breaking the eye contact that Nero had inadvertently drawn him into. This conversation actually made him uncomfortable, didn't it? That was good. Maybe Vergil would actually give him a straight answer then.

"He has no desire to speak with me. I know that. I don't need to disturb him to confirm that." Vergil's tone quieted a few octaves as he spoke, but was still as firm and audible as it normally was.

Nero's slightly irritated glare softened some. There was a certain level of resigned despair and… was that regret in his voice? Vergil was actually sorry, wasn't he? He was capable of believing that he could regret something that he'd done. He got the distinct feeling that he regretted a lot of his past actions. But then why didn't he express that better? It wasn't easy to admit when you'd done something wrong, but for fuck sake…

How had Vergil and V turned out to be this bad a conversation and expressing their emotions? It was astoundingly sad. He had to do something about that. After Dante was better at…

Shit they were all like this, weren't they?

Fuck.

In an attempt to regain his father's attention, he leaned over him slightly, gripping the arm of the chair in an attempt to maintain his balance and keep himself from face planting through the glass coffee table and breaking his teeth on the floor. Vergil would probably flip his shit if he did that. Clearly he'd had enough child injury for one day.

"Or maybe that's exactly what he wants you to do? I mean do you  _ ever  _ ask other people for help?" Nero stared at him firmly. Vergil immediately stated back. He sensed a challenge.

"I have no desire to… I don't need-" Vergil was too irritated by the perceived accusation to ever respond properly. He seemed slightly flustered, and the fact that he couldn't hide that and that Nero could see right through him seemed to really piss him off.

"Oh, so you're just going to feed me a load of bullshit then, hu?" Nero said, keeping the mild amount of entertainment he'd derived from that statement at bay. He already knew Vergil was going to say something like that. No use in getting upset about it." Go up stairs and talk to V. It's not like you have somewhere else to go tonight anyway. You have to sleep at some point."

"No, he totally doesn't. Vergil basically never sleeps. It's pretty creepy."

Nero glanced over his shoulder, shooting Dante a startled glare mixed with a questioning look. When had he come in? Since when was Dante that sneaky? And why didn't Vergil say anything. Was he just going to let him eavesdrop? "So what the fuck were you planning to do all night, then? Just ignore him? How can you sleep with him at your office?!"

Dante shrugged. "Look, I don't know. He's already stabbed me several times, once with my own sword. Not much else he can really do that would surprise me at this point. I'm just kinda along for the ride." He glanced between them and then over towards the stairs, closing his eyes and then sighing." Look… you go talk to V. I'm gonna talk to my dear old brother here. Then you can do whatever you want with him. I just wanna go to bed sometime tonight. Hope V's alright."

Vergil seemed horrified by the prospect of having that conversation with Dante, his brow raising slightly as he shot him a disapproving glare. There was more concern and discomfort in his eyes than anger despite everything. It was as if both the father and son were wondering what Dante could possibly be aiming to add to this already dying conversation. After a moment, Nero shrugged and stood up all the way. Whatever. That probably wasn't an awful idea. While he didn't have the highest hopes for their ability to talk things out after seeing their track record in action, he knew that at the end of the day he could just kick both of their asses again if they decided to do something stupid or get in a huge brawl in the middle of the hotel lobby. And if all else failed, he could get Patty and Kyrie to come in and give them a stern talking to. They didn't seem to be able to resist that one.

Nero repressed the urge to ask both of them why they didn't just get up and go tell V how they both felt and groaned. They really were twins, weren't they? Equally insane but in different ways. He would go talk to V, and they would sit down here and hash it out. And there would be hell to pay if they didn't, vacation or no vacation.

(-~-)

Oh boy, I don't know if this is going to be more fun or more painful to write lol! But at least they are talking, right? Thanks for your comments on the last chapter! I'll see you all next week on Wednesday! Stay safe out there and make sure to take some time to decompress. Everything is insane right now.


	18. Chapter Eighteen: Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Thanks for your amazing support for the story so far! We just hit a series word count of 130K, and I never thought I'd see the day that happened! Having such awesome people to write for every week really keeps me going during these difficult times, so never forget how awesome you guys are! Take care and enjoy the chapter!

Chapter Eighteen: Revelations

(-~-)

The carpet coated halls that led to the room that lined either side of the hallways were a stark contrast to the pristine stone floors on the ground level. Despite the diminutive size of the building when compared to most hotels, there were a fair number of rooms in the building. But, due to the construction of the building as a whole, the building was more vertically inclined than average. While each floor might only contain eight to ten rooms, the building reached an excess of ten floors, a fact that made it stand out against most other structures in the general area. One could only assume that it was built before any view shed laws were passed in the area, and the almost art deco style that it was constructed in only supported that fact.

But one thing that was for certain is that it made it an absolute pain to navigate. While the doors and keys were numbered in the usual fashion, it only served to heighten irritation when the party navigating the building realized that they had to traverse yet another senseless flight of god forsaken stairs to reach another short level of the building. The fact that there were two wings to the building and that they were not connected in any way aside from the dual staircases on the ground floor made this a million times worse. Nero was starting to wonder if Morrison had picked this location less for it's proximity to the waterfront and more so to fuck with them in the long term. Considering the fact that Dante probably still owed him a fortune and he had definitely been around him long enough to have done something to irritate him, Nero was inclined to believe the second option.

In all honesty, he would've been hopelessly lost if not for the fact that all the doors and the key he'd been given by Vergil were numbered, because the small floor sizes actually baffled him slightly. It wasn't like he was incapable of counting or something akin to that. It was the fact that giving him a direction that was comprised of something as asinine as " it's the sixth room on the fourth floor" made him want to punch people in the face. The fourth floor of which wing? On which side of the hallway? Was it their left or his? Did the ground floor count as the first floor making the fourth floor the fifth one?

What the  _ fuck _ were they thinking when they built this hellhole?

A small hotel was fine, but why did it have to be so damn tall?

Before long, Nero found himself standing in front of one of the doors, the phrase "Room A 06" plastered on the door on a small oblong door plate in front of him. It matched the key ring he was holding, but part of him was fully ready to believe that this was the wrong room. Since when did hotels even have a room six? That was as ironic as it was strange. He wasn't exactly superstitious, but he knew that many people were. Actually seeing a room marked with a six on it was just slightly surreal to him. Maybe that was why this trip was such a mess so far. The room name had doomed them from the start.

As if.

With a hesitant knock, Nero attempted to gain V's attention from within the confines of the room. When there wasn't a reply, he furrowed his brow slightly. V wasn't normally the type to ignore him, even if he didn't want to be bothered. He also didn't seem to be physically capable of just telling other people that he wanted to be left alone. He would just sort of disappear from the room, seemingly feeling as though he was being unkind or unbecoming to simply ask for his own space. Nero wasn't entirely sure what had caused his older sibling to develop such an awful quirk, but he was sure that there was probably some complicated or awful explanation for it. That always seemed to be the case with him, unfortunately. V's life seemed to be steeped in mundane misery and discomfort. He wished that was a cycle he could help break, but he was unsure of how to accomplish that. After all, he didn't even know the cause. It was just unfortunate.

"Hey V… can I come in?" Nero spoke quietly as though raising his voice would scare him off. He knew he didn't really need to yell to get his attention. His hearing was exceptionally good. Whether that was his body compensating for his existing deficits, a result of his demonic blood, or a combination of both was unknown to him. Knowing the cause didn't change the outcome in this case.

Nero waited a moment, listening quietly as for a response. When he didn't receive one, a slight pang of concern gripped him. It really wasn't like V to just ignore him. Maybe he just didn't hear him or he was doing something that kept him from answering? Perhaps checking in on him wasn't a bad idea…

"I'm, um, just gonna let myself in, okay? I just wanna check and make sure everything is ok." Nero spoke slightly louder this time, giving his quieter sibling the benefit of the doubt. While his hearing was quite good, he couldn't rule out the possibility that he just hadn't heard him the first time. His lack of a response could be down to a simple misunderstanding. After all, Nero had no way of knowing how good the insulation was in this place. It might just be that hard to hear through the door.

The younger of the two placed the key in the door and turned it, successfully unlocking it. He exhaled before pushing it open and stepping inside. As soon as the door was closed, Nero turned to face the rest of the room and immediately did a double take. V was standing surprisingly close to him, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. It seemed that he had just dragged himself over to the door with the intention of opening it and he had beaten him to the punch. While he'd half expected V to be in the bathroom or even asleep, he hadn't considered the fact that he might just need more time to reach the door. Sometimes he honestly forgot that V didn't walk that quickly in a casual setting due to necessity. That, and to not expend extra energy. He was shockingly low energy for someone who got so much done at any given time.

"... I was asleep. Forgive me."

Nero immediately gave him a sideways look. Something was totally off about him and he couldn't quite place what it was. All he knew was that it didn't sit right with him.

V stepped back to allow Nero enough space to properly stand in the room, seemingly noticing that they were too close for comfort. It seemed that his distaste for people being inside of his personal bubble was subconscious since he didn't really seem awake enough to actually notice it. That didn't honestly surprise Nero. It was entirely possible, all things considered. He seemed to notice a lot of small things without putting any effort into it from what he could tell. It was actually kind of interesting.

After dragging himself over to the bed, V sat down and propped himself up against the pillows that were stacked against the wall. He'd changed out of his soaked clothes and presumably put them in the bathroom to dry or something. A quick glance around the room revealed that Shadow and Griffon were present, though they both seemed to be asleep in the corner and had no interest in paying any attention to them. Griffon had fluffed himself up against the corner of the window while the large panther laid below it, stretching herself out along the bottom of the windowsill. Nero recalled how upset V's feline familiar had been at the beach earlier, seemingly reacting to her master's distress and the danger he'd found himself in with no regard for her own safety. He couldn't help but respect the overgrown house cat for that. It was actually very reassuring to know that V's companions had such a strong bond with him.

That being said, he wasn't looking to be mauled, so he would stay on the other side of the room for the time being.

Sparing a glance back in V's direction, Nero gestured towards the foot of the bed, clearly requesting permission to sit. V nodded, his might clearly preoccupied with something else. While they were looking at one another, V seemed to be looking into the middle distance more than anything else, not really seeing anything despite the fact that his eyes were fully functional. Nero shook his head slightly, unsure of where to even start.

"Hey… You alright?" He asked, leaning in slightly in an attempt to garner more attention from his distracted companion." Because you don't seem alright. For one, you look like hell. Something's different about you."

V stifled something that might have been a soft laugh, but could've just as easily been a cough from what Nero could tell. He seemed visually paler than he had been early that day, his eyes slightly red. While that could have easily been from the salt water, the younger of the two was easily willing to believe that wasn't the cause of his current condition. V struck him as the sort to go off and handle his emotions in private. After all, someone could only keep their emotions bottled up for so long. What he didn't comprehend was the source of such a profound level of distress. Something about this told him that what was happening went well beyond a simple aversion to water.

"... Well for starters, I believe I may have lost my voice," V said dryly, basically confirming his theory outright. Yes, he most certainly had. He sounded awful, like he'd developed a cold in the preceding hours since his unfortunate accident. He was even talking quieter. " I suppose inhaling salt water does that, doesn't it. You came to check on me, you said?"

Nero nodded in agreement. "Yea, I did. Figuring waiting until tomorrow was a bad idea. You sound awful." Nero tried to pass the statement off with a certain level of humor to lighten up the uncomfortable tension in the air, but it honestly didn't seem to work the way he was intending it to. Nothing in V's demeanor changed." Guess you have nothing to lose by telling me what the hell is going on then. I mean, your vocal cords are already shot to hell."

V closed his eyes for a moment, almost appearing to be asleep. He clearly wasn't, all things considered. But it certainly looked that way. He opened them after a moment, looking several times more exhausted than he had just seconds prior. Nero immediately knew that he'd hit a sore spot. Clearly something deeply personal was going on with him.

"... I suppose that is the case." V sounded as though he'd just been asked to testify against himself in a death penalty case. There was absolutely no desire to do so in his demeanor, but the fact that he was considering it was good enough for Nero. Asking him to enjoy taking to him seemed like a stretch at the moment." But to do that, we'd have to start from the beginning."

Nero leaned back slightly, noticing for the first time that his back didn't really appreciate what he was inadvertently doing to it. As he was readjusting his position, he shot V a curious glance. "The beginning, hu? How far back does that go? Your childhood?"

V paused for a moment. He then nodded so slowly that it was nearly imperceptible. "Actually yes, it does. I was around five or so. It's hazy." He looked downward, clearly unwilling to make eye contact," For the most part I'd repressed the events surrounding it, but a suppose trauma lingers even when memory doesn't."

If Nero hadn't already been taking him seriously from the start of the conversation, he would've been from that point forward. Oh shit, he'd been joking when he said that. V never talked about anything concerning his life before they'd met. Nero got the occasional offhanded detail that he then used to glean additional info from, but this was different. V was actually going to  _ tell him something _ this time.

"... What happened V?"

If it was possible to fidget nervously without moving, V did so. He'd be lying if he had he hoped that Nero wouldn't ask that question. Pursuing this course of action wasn't something he wanted to do, but he was at the door so he might as well walk through it…

"The actual circumstances surrounding it are… complicated and I don't wish to relay them in any detail. I'd prefer to not revisit that part of my life. Suffice to say my childhood was…  _ Challenging. _ " He paused for a moment as though speaking was slowly draining the energy from his body. He'd never actually planned on talking about this with anyone, and it showed." At some point the orphanage I had been placed in decided that I was cursed or something akin to it. I'm not entirely sure. What I do remember was the extreme level of avoidance I was shown and the…  _ cleansing _ they decided to make me undergo. I believe there's some sort of doctrine against exorcisms involving children, but I wouldn't be an expert on such matters. But the one I partook in against my will involved a river and…"

V stopped as Nero held up his hand, gently shaking his head. The slightly nauseous look on his face spoke volumes. Nero had heard enough to understand. "I… I think I understand… You don't have to keep going if you don't want to." The short haired devil hunter gave him a sympathetic look." Guess we both had a shit time as kids. I grew up in an orphanage too. Wish that was the one thing we didn't have in common."

A hint of relief flowed over V as he exhaled the breath he didn't realize he was holding. "I couldn't agree more. My condolences on behalf of your childhood, Nero. If my own experiences are anything to go by, I trust your luck wasn't much better than mine."

Nero laughed slightly and shrugged. V really was formal to a fault wasn't he? And he wasn't too far off considering the magnitude of awful childhood he'd experienced for himself. Luckily no one in town had ever tried  _ that _ on him. Being constantly ignored was familiar, however. 

"Thanks V. "Same to you, I guess. But… do me a favor." V gave him a slightly curious look as he spoke, but seemed to be listening. Nero wouldn't go as far as saying that getting that off of his chest had helped him, but he hoped so. It was too soon to tell." Just… tell me what's going on next time, ok?"

While Nero wasn't entirely sure if V was going to follow through on what he asked of him, the older of the two nodded hesitantly. He seemed to consider what he'd suggested at the very least, and that was as much as Nero could really ask from any of his relatives. They all seemed to possess an aversion to this sort of conversation, but V was the easiest to work with on personal matters by far. It was almost alarming.

"I will…  _ consider that an option _ ." V said simply. It didn't take much to come to the conclusion that he'd hit his limit in terms of personal conversation. Nero nodded, moving to stand up again. As he did so, he dared to give V something akin to a small shoulder shake. While Nero wasn't sure what that achieved, he felt as though he should do  _ something _ to try and ease the discomfort in the room, but was relatively certain that actually hugging him might not go the way he'd expect, at least of past experience was anything to go by. But he was confident they'd get there eventually. Just not today.

"Okay then." Nero said as he approached the door to the room, placing his hand on the doorknob. He could tell V needed a little time to collect his thoughts." Oh and Vergil's probably coming up here soon. Thought I'd give you a heads up."

V gave Nero a blank look. It was genuinely difficult to discern how that news actually affected him. After a moment, he leaned back against the headboard of the bed and sighed, closing his eyes. "Very well. Thank you for the forewarning."

With that, Nero nodded and vacated the room. He needed to go check on things on the ground floor. Leaving Dante and Vergil alone that long was bound to be the cause of some sort of accident or shootout in the lobby. Not to mention dinner plans. He had no idea what they were eating, but he was about five minutes from literally starving to death.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, thanks for stopping by and reading the next chapter! Were about half way through the beach arc now, so I hope you've all been having a good time reading it! I hope you've had a good week and thanks for your ongoing support! See you again on Friday!


	19. Chapter Nineteen: Parlay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: It's okay. V's childhood totally wasn't awful. NOPE. Poor baby. I hope you're all having a good Friday! Here's a slightly longer chapter to tide you over until next Wednesday! I hope you like it! And thanks again for the reviews! Sorry for any mistakes that snuck through. I've been trying to catch them.

Chapter Nineteen: Parlay

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The lights in the hallway had brightened slightly as the sun faded below the horizon. The windows grew dark as the light they had once provided fell from view and revealed the darkness from beyond them, signaling to anyone who possessed a view of them that it was now dusk and probably a good time to turn in for the night. The music that had played in the halls reflected this shift into night, switching off as to not disturb the occupants of the building. While it hadn't been very loud in the first place, it was still a help to those with hyper-keen hearing or simply an aversion to Chopin and Bach, if such people truly existed.

With the change in scenery came a change in mood overall, both from the beauty of the night itself and from the arrival of the Sons of Sparda as they made their way down the hallway towards their room. Vergil's face betrayed his desire to be further from his younger twin in that moment. He possessed no further desire to dwell on the matter at hand, and his younger twin knew precisely every detail of what he'd discussed with Nero in the lobby. It was beyond him to have a meaningful conversation with all three members of his immediate family tonight, owing to the fact that he intended to say something to V once they arrived, and he'd already reached an impasse with Nero for the time being. 

But for the brief moment that his mind wandered towards other possible means of escaping his fate, he remembered his time in the underworld and the absolute shit show that everything had to be at the moment. With no acting ruler, the possibilities were endless. The only sensible explanation as to why no one had made an attempt to come after him just yet had to be that internal and external warfare had to be the primary concern of most residents of the underworld. Well, at least the ones with the mental capacity to actually worry about such things. 

While the darker side of the Trinity tended to be populous and grand in it's scale and variety, it wasn't exactly packed to the brim with intellectual minds. For all her other shortcomings and disadvantages, Malphas had actually been one of the smarter denizens of Mundus's court. Though he despised quite literally everything about her, especially when it came to things like her appearance, scent, and general existence, he'd be remiss to glance over the fact that she was a powerful sorceress, the likes of which most mortals could only dream of emulating. But from what he understood, she was no longer alive. At least that was a positive outcome of his little "misadventure" in Redgrave City. If he knew who had taken care of her, he'd probably thank them before he eliminated them himself. One couldn't have a demon that powerful just wandering around to do as they pleased. Unless of course his younger twin had taken care of her on his way to fight him…

Nah, he'd still punch Dante in the face.

That had been his fight. How dare he strike her down before he got the chance.

"So are you gonna say sorry or not, Vergil?" Dante asked casually as he followed behind his older twin. It was slightly harder for Vergil to stab him from behind, and that slight logistical advantage might prove handy if the conversation continued on as it had up until this point." Because if you do, I wanna be there for that. Can't miss a once in a lifetime experience like that, ya know? Might even take a few pictures."

Vergil shot his snickering twin a livid glance over his shoulder, not at all appreciating the topic of conversation they were currently stuck on. While they were leaving to return to the office with the others in two days' time, this particular trip was starting to feel like it had already lasted a week. While that could easily be a result of Vergil's sense of time being slightly askew due to his prolonged stay in the underworld, or simply as result of the events that had unfolded that day, he honestly didn't care to think about it or discern a concrete reason. All he knew was that he honestly wanted to stab Dante right now and he was making an effort not to do so. There was a camera in the hallway, one of the few pieces of technology he actually recognized at this point. 

Everything pertaining to electronics that had come into existence before his departure into the underworld (and some that had existed before that…) might as well be written in another language as far as he was concerned. But unless surveillance equipment had undergone a fundamental overhaul in the time he'd been away, he understood that whipping out Yamato and cutting slabs of jerky out of his younger sibling wasn't something he could get away with. Their hotel room was another story. Dante would do best to remember that.

"You would like that, wouldn't you? I'd say that I'm sorry to disappoint you, but that would be dishonest and I'm trying to improve certain aspects of my personality." Vergil said almost smugly as they rounded the corner and descended the second to last flight of stairs that led up to their room. They had been up there earlier in the day, but he still despised the idiosyncratic layout of the establishment they were boarding in for the time being. Everything else about it was… fine. He didn't feel one way or another about it. But the stairs and the small hallways were positively claustrophobic and he wanted to snap the neck of the person who had designed them. Maybe he'd toss them down their own stairs while he was at it…

Vergil needed something to kill. There had to be demons in this city somewhere.

The younger of the two sighed as he continued to snicker to himself, graduating to actual laughter. "Oh brother, you're just so damn funny, you know that? Tell me, how do you go through life day after day with a stick that far up your-"

"Dante. Don't start. I'm not cleaning your blood off of these stairs. They have carpet."

The twins casually glanced in Nero's direction as they approached him. He was headed in their direction and had caught the tail end of their little discussion. While he was sure that whatever they were going on about was more than likely Vergil's fault, he wasn't in the mood for this kind of shit tonight. They would have to do this another time, preferable when he and the rest of the general public weren't in the line of fire.

"Oh, come on, Nero! What else is housekeeping going to do to keep themselves busy this time of day? They could use a little excitement." Dante spoke in a manner so straight to the point and sarcastic that Nero actually couldn't tell if he was just screwing with them both or if he was actually serious. It could be hard to tell at times. Regardless, his answer was still the same.

"Look, just shut and go back downstairs before  _ someone _ remembers that they can move faster than the old ass cameras in this place can keep up with. We're supposed to be getting dinner in a half hour, remember?" Nero said humorously. They had to make it to at least the end of day one before swords started getting put through people.

Dante shrugged constantly at the "suggestion" and turned to face the other end of the hall. "Hey, why not. There has to be a pizza place around here somewhere. And besides, I wasn't coming up here for anything anyways."

Vergil stopped dead in his tracks, slowly turning around to face his twin brother with a semi confused and semi livid expression on his face. The sideways look he gave him spoke volumes as to his state of mind. He blinked for a moment before seemingly coming to some sort of internal conclusion. He was clearly skirting the precipice of his mental reserves. "You… then what did you bother coming up here in the first place, Dante? What could you possibly stand to gain from it?"

Again, Dante shrugged nebulously. Nero gave him a half knowing half warning look, preparing himself for whatever innate stupidity was about to unfold. He'd been around Dante long enough to be able to tell when he was just shooting the shit for the sake of it, and that wasn't quite what this was. But it didn't take a mental giant to see that that was exactly what this line of conversation was going to accomplish. Maybe he just liked to fan the flames from time to time? Or maybe it was an annoying younger brother thing?

"Honestly nothing. I just have nothing better to do. Don't you have a kid to be talking to?"

Before Nero could even blink, a blue spectral sword pierced the security camera that was mounted above the top of the staircase, filming the adjoining hallway. It was a good thing that there was only one present as it made things much easier to disable. Way back when, Vergil probably wouldn't have bothered, citing his generally lack of interest in other people seeing what he was doing. Most cameras didn't really pick up anything that quickly at the time. But this was the dawn of a new age, and he didn't feel like breaking into the security office and stabbing the control box or whatever it was to pieces after he was done making mincemeat out of Dante. That was too much effort for a fight that would be over with so quickly.

As the flimsy piece of optical equipment toppled over uselessly, Dante and Vergil practically launched at one another. The lights flickered on and off for a moment, allowing just enough time for Nero to move towards them to try and block the oncoming assault they were preparing to launch at one another. Where on earth had they even produced those swords from so quickly?! There was no way that either of them had simply stuck them down the backs of their pants. Did Dante's new blade come with a few notable upgrades? And did Yamato have its own pocket dimension?

To be honest, that made more sense than it should've given the context under which both of the weapons had been produced and forged in the first place. After all, they weren't exactly normal blades. Still though, he couldn't make Yamato do that during the short time he'd claimed ownership over it.

Just as the lights blinked back on, everything came to an unexpected stop. Nero did a massive double take at the scene before him as both Dante and Vergil blinked in apparent confusion at the sight before them. Standing with a look of what could only be described as unamused disapproval on his face between them was V. The young summoner was leaned against the wall with his arms folded across his chest, nowhere near foolish enough to extend any of his valuable extremities to span the space between the two blades in an attempt to halt their progress. They were almost as tall as he was, after all. He had enough problems to deal with on a day to day basis. A missing limb wasn't going to be one if he had anything to say about it.

Both of the twins stared at him with a certain level of surprised trepidation and perplexed annoyance as they tried to piece together the exact moment he'd arrived, but neither of them came to a worthwhile conclusion. Nero, having more experience with the things that V was capable of was still somewhat surprised, but was honestly more relieved than anything else. It was good to see him out of the bed at the very least. Given the tone of the conversation they'd just participated in, he'd been under the impression that V was just going to turn in for the night. Had they accidentally woken him up or something? Maybe he had a stupidity detector built into Shadow? It wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

"... Would you not?" He said flatly, clearly unamused.

The three of them all looked at him as though he'd grown a second head. He'd said that in a tone of voice so close to telling them to fuck off that they actually had to double check who they were talking to for a moment. V had clearly had enough of their bullshit for one day, and Nero was honestly almost ready to laugh at how much he looked like he wanted to tell them to go to their rooms like the five-year-olds they were behaving like. Dante and Vergil glanced at him and then back at one another before collectively sighing under their breath and sheathing their weapons, allowing them to vanish back into the void they'd acquired them from. They then shared another look of pissed off annoyance at the fact that they had done so in unison, clearly not entertained by the twinly synchronization they had just indulged in.

"Fine by me." Dante said straight-faced, raising his hands in defeat, pirouetting dramatically in the direction of the stairs as he headed towards them." I was just leaving."

He clearly had no intention of getting into a disagreement with V. His melodramatic nephew clearly had a few tricks up his sleeve, and the sudden realization that he could teleport immediately moved him a few notches up his "nope" list. There was no way in hell he was going to take on  _ two _ people who could teleport. That was the kind of psychotic death wish material that masochists reveled in.

Vergil glanced in the opposite direction, discomfort falling over him like a heavy fog. If he didn't know any better, he'd almost swear that he was embarrassed or something akin to it. Fighting with his twin in the hallway of a random hotel after busting a security camera instead of coming to speak with him wasn't a very good look, and he was fully aware of that fact. Everyone present was.

"As you wish, then." Vergil said, still not quite looking at his son." I was just on my way to speak with you." 

V didn't really care to acknowledge that, instead opting to stare at him in silence, fully aware of the fact that Vergil was going to get tired of him doing so sooner or later and face him. People had been doing that to him for his entire life, and he knew how effective it was at making his skin crawl. Why not apply it in this particular case?

"I imagine you were." V spoke softly as though he was making an effort not to startle him away." I was starting wondering if you were ever going to approach me after you pulled me from the water and followed me here from the beach. And here you are."

There was a clear level of questioning dissonance to his statement, a certain level of silent anticipation that he carried himself with that was apparent to all who saw him. Perhaps it was the way he'd crossed his arms and leaned back as if to say that he was still waiting, or the way his gaze softened slightly as he looked at his father, but V clearly expected him to say something he wasn't saying. And Vergil had a feeling that he knew exactly what it was. The problem was that his brain and his mouth were not communicating at the moment in time.

"Nearly drowning you today wasn't my intention." Vergil paused for a moment, taking the opportunity to look up at him and actually make meaningful eye contact. He immediately drew V's attention, the younger of the two clearly taking him more seriously as a result." I suppose what I'm trying to impart upon you is that I regret doing so. Are you capable of forgiving my… misstep?

As V suspected, the word "sorry" wasn't strictly a part of Vergil's vocabulary. But still, he wasn't completely incapable of seeing that his father was indeed trying to apologize to him. A part of him actually found it tragically funny that he was so god awful at this, not at all surprised that this inability to properly express their repressed emotions despite a desire to seemingly running in the family. It was painful but touching to him all at once, his level of satisfaction with its level of implementation notwithstanding. V was more than willing to take this as one of those "it's the thought that counts" scenarios, especially after the conversation they'd had that morning.

"That isn't an unreasonable request. But I have a condition." V said, glancing in Nero's general direction," Have you ever apologized to Nero for what you've done?"

Vergil gave him a curious look, not so much confused as he was unsure where he was going with this line of questioning. He more than understood where he was going with this, he just didn't comprehend how they had arrived at this junction. What was it about today that made him wonder what the weather was like in hell this time of year?

Hot.

The answer was hot, with the exception of the few areas that were permanently frozen.

They were both. And it sucked.

"No, I don't suppose I have. For what in particular?"

The white haired summoner raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly wondering where to begin. "...  _ Everything _ ."

A moment of self awareness seemed to hit Vergil as he glanced over at Nero. The shorter haired devil hunter stared at them blankly, internally questioning how he'd ended up in this conversation in the first place. All he wanted to do was go and eat dinner with everyone else and go to bed. It was still Nero's responsibility to get the children to actually  _ sleep _ tonight. 

Vergil closed his eyes for a moment, coming to terms with the fact that he wasn't getting out of there without saying something. While he knew that he was long overdue to do so, he genuinely wanted to just drop this and revisit it another time. But V had made a valid point, and perhaps it was best to just get it over with. It seemed that V was willing to take two half apologies in the place of one full one. How in keeping with his mostly reasonable persona.

"... Cutting your arm off instead of simply explaining my motivations was not a good decision. That hasn't escaped me. I'm glad it grew back." Vergil said simply, giving Nero a thoughtful but much more composed look than he'd had a few moments ago." Neither was missing out on the majority of your life. Or any of my actions this afternoon. I trust you've recovered and that we can come to some sort of compromise. "

Nero shrugged slightly, unsure of what to say. He appreciated that. At least he thought he did. The young hunter had spent so much time expecting to never receive any sort of apology for his father's actions that he was just now realizing that he didn't know how to process one. That had to be unhealthy.

Wait a moment…

"Tell you what, I have a condition too." Nero said as he folded his arms, reveling in the power he held over his father as the older hunter seemed to physically die inside. Now this he could get used to. Was this what it was like to be V?" You take care of the kids tonight and we can call it even on the whole back sanding thing. I'll get back to you on the rest of that."

Vergil sighed heavily at the prospect of babysitting. There was absolutely no way in the nine circles of hell that he would've ever considered spending the night alone with Nero's three children. While they seemed well behaved, all things considered, he just didn't want to. But it was only for one evening and then he could force Nero to regain custody of them…

"... Just this once, and never again. I don't fraternize with  _ children _ ."

While Nero should've considered his father's description of his children a red flag, his mind was perfectly willing to consider this an acceptable solution to a mounting problem he'd been facing for the last hour or so. After seeing Kyrie in that bathing suite, he simply  _ had _ to have a little alone time with her. He wasn't sure where they were going yet, but it would only be for an hour or so…

"Deal. Now let's go get something to eat. All this forgiveness is making me hungry." He said with a nod, more than certain that the others had probably left without them by now.

V stood up straight, no longer leaning against the wall. He turned and walked in the direction of the stairs, passing them as he went. The young summoner seemingly needing no further convincing. "While I doubt that any of the establishments in this town will compare to Kyrie's cooking, I'm inclined to agree. We should leave. I'm sure management will be up sometime soon to inspect the camera."

Nero turned in the direction of the stairs to follow him, nodding in agreement. He was willing to bet that his older brother was correct in that assessment. Both V and Kyrie seemed to be able to handle themselves in a kitchen. Vergil simply watched them both leave for a moment, thinking quietly to himself. Noticing their lack of company, they both stopped and glanced over their shoulders, more or less trying to assess what the problem was. "... Were you not coming, then?" V said quietly, his eyes betraying a hint of disappointment at the prospect.

The younger of the two mirrored him, though clearly more confused than disappointed. He got the impression that Vergil didn't eat very much. "Yea, are you staying?"

After a moment, Vergil shook his head, quietly admitting defeat. He'd considered staying behind to think and mentally prepare himself for the task at hand, but he decided against it in that instant. Turning them both down seemed like a bit of a lateral step backwards.

"I'll come."

With that he started after them, the two seemingly pleased as they nodded and turned back towards the stairs. V lingered a bit longer, opting to wait for Vergil as he had done for him on several occasions leading up to this. As Vergil approached, V spoke quietly under his breath, so much so that Nero couldn't hear him despite the fact that he was only a few yards away.

_ "I apologize, but it seems I have nothing for you to carry this time. You'll have to contain your disappointment." _

Vergil repressed the urge to show how entertained he was by V's little quip and followed after him. So he possessed a sense of humor after all. And as for the bag… there would be another time. They then headed towards the stairs, content that the matter at hand had been resolved for the time being and completely unaware that Dante had heard every moment of their exchange from the bottom of the stairs, simply choosing not to ruin what would otherwise be an important and positive moment for them. At the end of the day, that was all Dante really wanted for his twin anyway. He couldn't think of a better prospect than what had just unfolded, and he hadn't even needed to threaten to shoot Vergil.

Perhaps there was some hope for him after all.

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, this was a fun chapter! Fun fact: I finished this on Tuesday morning! For the first time, I'm ahead and I can start next week's chapters in advance! Well, I did that last week for the last chapter, but you get what I mean! It feels good to accomplish something. I hope you all enjoyed what you say and take care! I'd love to know what kind of things you'd like to see happen in the beach arc. It's only got a few chapters left! And then the fun really begins. Muhahahah!


	20. Chapter Twenty: Respite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Wow. Chapter twenty and were probably only half way through this fic! It's been a blast so far, and I'd like to take a moment to say thank you for forty total chapters and just shy of 150k words so far in this series. And to top it off, DMC5SE is coming in the future?! What a time to be alive and part of the DMC community! (unless you're on pc like me because screw us, I guess. At least we get Vergil, but still). Thanks for coming along for the ride so far! I hope it's been worth it. A metaphorical toast to the first twenty and here's to twenty more!

Chapter Twenty: Respite

(-~-)

Dinner had gone relatively well, all things considered.

Finding a restaurant that was willing to accommodate such a large group had been a respectable challenge, but in the end they settled on a small outdoor establishment. While they had to push two tables together in order to sit as a group, it had all worked out just fine in the end.

While the vast majority of the conversation that took place was between Patty, Nero, and the other girls, Dante occasionally joined in with a few witty rejoinders of his own, normally at Vergil's expense. V simply attended the dinner, eating quietly and mostly keeping to himself. Despite the fact that he had agreed to attend dinner, it was due more to a sense of personal obligation than anything else. He'd be lying if he said that he had been very hungry. The events at the beach had basically annihilated his appetite.

Once back at the hotel, everyone was more than ready to turn in for the night. There were still two days left on their trip, and everyone was eager to have a chance to explore the town and experience everything it had to offer. Well, at least for the most part. Kyrie was certain that she wanted to go back to the beach, at least for a few hours. She'd enjoyed herself in the bathing suit they had picked out for her, and she was going to take every opportunity that she could to wear it. Doing so in Fortuna would be a bit… scandalous. Through no fault of her own, she simply had the misfortune to live in a place that was more than a bit old fashioned, especially when it came to the way people were expected to dress. Most of them had probably never seen a bathing suit before.

As the group was going their separate ways in the lobby, Nero stretched and rubbed his eyes slightly, garnering a similar response from V who substituted stretching for a badly concealed yawn. He seemed painfully aware of how everyone was looking at him for trying to do so. Who tried to conceal a  _ yawn? _

Much to V's relief, Vergil broke the silence between them, seemingly unwilling to stand around the entire night and watch everyone watch everyone else. He stepped forward, his arms folded around himself as he glanced in the direction of the children. The oldest child, Julio, seemed more than ready to go to bed; now sufficiently tired and unwilling to stay up much longer. Kyle wasn't much better. He seemed to be just a few minutes shy of falling asleep on his feet, swaying back and forth as he blinked heavily. Carlo on the other hand was still just as full of energy as he always was. While he wasn't exactly hyper, the abundance of other people around to provide attention to him wasn't something he was willing to overlook. But as always, he gravitated towards those he knew best and chose to linger close to Nero and V, a decision that put him in the middle of their walking path and made him nearly impossible to overlook.

Honestly, his eagerness to hug the legs of everyone in the lobby was adorable, something that Vergil had experienced first hand himself earlier that day. The small child stopped darting between Kyrie and Nero's legs and stole an occasional glance at the much taller man, earning him a curious look and resulting in a few playful giggles. Vergil sighed. This was going to be a long night. While he found the child's behavior… typical for someone his age, for perhaps the first time since his return from the underworld, he felt an immense desire to simply go to sleep for the night. He didn't feel like fighting a small child the entire night to do so. But he wasn't backing down from his agreement, either. As far as he was concerned, that would be just as bad, if not worse, than simply refusing to do so in the first place.

"... Is he always like this," Vergil said as Carlo darted away from Nero and over towards V. The summoner in question was leaned against a nearby wall, seemingly waiting for an opportunity to disappear up the stairs and into the waiting blankets of his bed. The oldest Son of Sparda could only assume that Dante was going to be voted out of the bed due to a combination of his oldest son's inability to sleep on a couch that small and his youngest son's inevitable refusal to do so. Part of him was honestly irritated that he wouldn't be there to watch him suffer pointlessly, but the other part of him that didn't participate in such petty foolishness was actually glad that he probably wouldn't have to share a bed with any of them. Despite the undeniable closeness of their blood relation to one another, if anyone so much as bumped him in his sleep, they were likely to be skinned alive. That would be terribly inconsiderate towards the cleaning staff come mourning.

V shared a glance at Carlo, seemingly taking a moment to assess the room. Once sufficiently sure that no one was watching him, V took the opportunity to fluff the small boy's head and pat him on the shoulder, earning him a leg hug before he ushered the excited child back towards the rest of his family. Vergil couldn't help but notice the level of peace that seemed to wash over him as he watched the little one toddle back across the room, the young summoner seemingly pleased by the attention that Carlo always made time to show him. Where else was he going to obtain such high quality hugs from? Certainly not from Vergil. Maybe Nero? Dante would probably humor him, but he'd make it as uncomfortable and lengthy as possible. That was simply the way he was.

It was an interesting revelation to him that V was so good with Nero's children. He'd seen him interacting with them at the beach earlier that day, critiquing their little sand castles and pretending to be thoroughly impressed. He'd even shared one of his snacks with Kyle and allowed Julio to take shelter from the heat under his umbrella, ignoring the sopping wet mess he'd made out of the beach towel he'd brought to relax on. It was a wonder to him that someone who didn't have any children was so at ease interacting with them. For a moment, he considered the idea that he'd been involved with them to some extent in the past, but dismissed the notion. V wasn't very adept at social interactions with anyone. He just seemed to have a soft spot for Nero's children.

_ Perhaps if he wasn't so perpetually single… _

Vergil's thoughts returned to the matter at hand. He had no reason to dwell on what V decided to do with his personal life. While an observation was perfectly fine with him, dwelling on things he had no say in and no influence over was futile. He would return to his current obligations and leave his consideration for V's crushing and no doubt ceaseless loneliness for another time. If that kind of future was in the cards for him, then he would cross that bridge when he got to it. Vergil himself had never planned to…

He needed to find something to force him to keep his mind on the trial he'd forced himself to undergo. Perhaps proving to Nero that he wasn't entirely awful would gain him some sort of footing in their future conversations. At the very least he hoped that it would alleviate some of the hostility between them. While they were indeed talking now, he couldn't help but notice that Nero made a point of constantly calling him out on his shortcomings. While he wasn't foolish enough to believe that he didn't have that much coming, he dared to allow himself to be optimistic about the possibility that there could be more to their relationship in the future. 

Truly, he wanted Nero to attempt to talk to him in much the same way that V did. He'd proved that he had the capacity to do so in the lobby of the hotel earlier that evening before Dante had interrupted them. As much as he loathed delving into his emotions and the scars and misadventures of his past, he knew that doing so was inevitable if he had any hope of Nero actually moving past his current feeling towards him. The Darkslayer knew that this was a test. It was the first one Nero had bequeathed him, even if he had done so as an extension of V's request. And he had no intention of letting both of his sons think any less of him than he imagined they already did. Such negativity was how they had arrived at such a dark and painful place to start with…

"Yea, basically. He's not really hyper, but he asks a lot of questions," Nero said as Carlo tucked himself under his legs and giggled senselessly. Nero shook his head and reached down to snatch the small boy off of his feet and into his arms, finally ending his wild behavior." Kyle and Julio are basically dead on their feet, so I don't think they are going to put up much of a fight. That and they are probably not excited about sharing a room with a person they know can toss someone halfway across a beach with one hand."

Vergil didn't miss the slight glare that accompanied that statement. Nero wasn't over that yet, it seemed. Apparently Dante was quicker to let that sort of thing go than his son was. Then again, they regularly impaled one another and attempted to render one another invalid, so they were not the best role models in that regard.

Kyle and Julio stumbled over sleepily, seemingly more than ready to find out why they were not in bed yet. All the conversation going on between the adults in the lobby was exceedingly dull to them, especially when all they wanted to do was flop down into a soft bed and take a trip to dreamland.

"Can we go to bed now," Julio asked as he tugged at Nero's sleeve, his best pleading look spread across his face. He was in no mood for this." I'm tired and so is Kyle."

Kyle said nothing, still skirting the line between acute sleep deprivation and faceplanting on the floor in a fully comatose state. He seemed to register that they were talking, but couldn't care less about what they were discussing. If it didn't have to do with sleeping, it was of no interest to him.

Nero gestured towards Vergil with a tilt of his head, obviously agreeing that it was time for them to turn in for the night. "You're going with Vergil. Don't give him a hard time."

The oldest of the three young boys pivoted slowly towards Vergil, giving him a sideways look before turning back to Nero with an almost concerned look. He clearly wasn't sure how he felt about the change in arrangements. After a moment, he sighed and yawned sleepily. His body and the adults had made the decision for him. With a conformation glance at his little brother Kyle who only shrugged in disinterest, he glanced back up at Vergil again and rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"I guess we're okay. I just wanna go to sleep."

Vergil didn't think he'd ever agree with a five year old, but life was strange sometimes.

Without warning, Nero hoisted Carlo into Vergil’s unsuspecting arms, sufficiently taking the older demon slayer by surprise. Vergil received the giggling boy, but shot his son a conflicted glance, eyebrow raised. He hadn’t signed up to be slobbered on.

“Yea, you're gonna want to carry him upstairs. He has a hard time with stairs.” Nero said, taking a few steps towards V. He was warming up to the idea of going to sleep, especially after seeing his older sibling yawn yet again. V seemed to be lingering in the lobby out of courtesy.

Vergil held the small child up under the arms, looking at him as though he were a wet puppy who had just tracked mud through the house. Carlo continued to giggle to himself, reaching his short arm out to boop Vergil on the nose. The blue devil blinked in momentary disbelief before closing his eyes and shaking his head slightly. This was going to be a long night.

(-~-)

"Goodnight friend! I'm gonna sleep now. Bye bye!"

Vergil cursed every fiber in his body, both human and demon, that this child had so much energy. He was starting to wonder sarcastically if he'd dodged a bullet by not being present during either of his children's childhoods. Well, at least Nero's. If V's current personality was anything to go by, he was probably an easy child to handle. Nero on the other hand was probably much like this boy. Insatiable and unwilling to let him rest regardless of his level of willingness to compromise with him.

First, he'd tried talking to him when he'd started asking him a million unintelligible questions. Then he'd carved out of a desperate desire to sleep and allowed the child to sleep at the foot of his bed like he'd been so keen to do, a compromise that he was now totally regretting due to the fact that the little boy couldn't seem to stay still. Nero possessed far more patience than he had originally figured, and he was slightly horrified to see just how little he possessed himself. Had that been the point of this entire endeavor? To make him suffer in the same way that he had made them suffer himself? If so, it was definitely working because he was about two seconds from throwing  _ himself _ out for the window to the cold embrace of the pavement and perhaps finally some form of rest.

Unfortunately death had never allowed him to escape his problems, so he wasn't sure how well that plan would work out. For now, he seemed to be stuck with the hell he'd made for himself. And he was not the least bit pleased. Somehow sleep always eluded him when he actually wanted it, but this was another thing entirely. Never before had a creature so small had such a profound ability to drive him absolutely insane. He couldn't help but shake his head slightly at the moment of clarity that overtook him at the realization that his must have been what his own parents felt like when they had been forced to grapple with him and his trouble-making twin as children. How they had ever kept their composure and not carted them both off to some remote tropical island in a produce crate to be eaten by wild animals was beyond him.

And yet, he couldn't bring himself to be angry at the child.

It was truly strange, but he just couldn't.

While he'd been laying there questioning what crime he had committed that had cursed him in such a manner, little Carlo had clambered up towards the head of the bed and flopped down next to him, taking the opportunity to try and tuck in his little stuffed animal. Vergil hadn't noticed the type of animal that it was, but he knew that it was half as big as the child that owned it, and he apparently refused to sleep without it. Due to the attack on their house just a few months ago that he himself had perpetrated, the little boy was scared to sleep without something to keep him company. The stuffed bear had apparently been a gift from Kyrie to help ease his fears.

Perhaps it was guilt from the fact that he had emotionally scarred a child that was just shy of three years old. Maybe it was the exhaustion setting in. Or maybe, just maybe Vergil had come to the realization that he just couldn't be bothered to combat the child any further and had finally met an opponent that he couldn't defeat. It didn't matter anymore. Carlo had won, and Vergil was going to have to tolerate the tiny child hugging him the entire night like he was an especially long body pillow. He could only hope that he didn't snore or drool, otherwise he just might stab himself.

And he couldn't even find it in himself to be angry.

There was a part of Vergil that wanted to laugh at how preposterous the entire situation was to him. He, the legendary Darkslayer and oldest son to the Great Dark Knight Sparda; usurper to the demon throne and defier of death itself… was but a plaything in the hands of an infant. And for some horrifying reason that he couldn't even begin to care about, he was entirely content with that fact. How had things taken such a drastic turn?

The entire point was moot. He would worry about it in the morning after he returned the little usurper to his legal guardians. His bed might be a bit less cold and might contain fewer pairs of stray socks, but he was sure he would survive. After all, he'd been through much worse. He was willing to tolerate the actions of an adorable curly haired child, at least for one night.

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this chapter was so fun to write! Thanks a bunch for that comment about Vergil spending time with his grandchildren, Rawrbox! It led to such a fun writing experience! I actually strapped the original version of this chapter and chose to go with this. RIP the extra 600 words that I’d written before I read your comment! I hope everyone has a good day, and I’ll see you again on Friday! 


	21. Chapter Twenty One: Expedition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Can we talk about how amazing Bury the Light is? Ok, good. Just wanted to make sure we were on the same page. Moving on!

Chapter Twenty One: Expedition

Notes: Can we talk about how amazing Bury the Light is? Ok, good. Just wanted to make sure we were on the same page. Moving on!

(-~-)

Considering the fact that he’d spent the better part of the night trying to ignore the feeling of tiny toddler toes digging into his back, the darkslayer had slept relatively well.

It had been challenging to him to even tolerate the concept of sharing a bed with another living being at first, more or less due to the fact that he had not done so in over two decades. Add to that the fact that he was still adjusting to the sensation of sleeping in a bed again after spending a lifetime in the underworld, and the fact that he had a difficult time sleeping through the night because he’d trained himself to wake up almost instantaneously at the slightest sound as a defense mechanism to prevent his enemies from being able to easily sneak up on him, and you had a recipe for an unpleasant night’s sleep practically evening. But there wasn’t much that the little boy could to to sway that outcome one way or another. Vergil was going to be cranky come breakfast time regardless of how little or how much he tossed and turned in his sleep.

Practically the second that the sun dared peak over the threshold of the windowsill, Kyle sat up and yawned, repeatedly jabbing Julio in the back with his free hand as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Once the middle child was up, so was his older brother. That was simply the way the children did things. As soon as Julio was roused and somewhat capable of functioning, he jabbed his little brother back, an action that immediately led into a poke fight. Had an adult, especially Vergil, been awake to see it, they would’ve more than likely dissuaded them, but the only “qualified” candidate was trying his level best to just tune out the world around himself and get a few moment’s rest.

Well, that was until Carlo woke up.

As if from nowhere, the little child sat up in the bed next to his grandfather and whimpered in frustration. His tiny child brain was incapable of processing the concept of lethargy, and as such desired nothing more than to turn back over and go to sleep. The main issue with that plan was that he didn’t comprehend this idea, so his only recourse was to become immediately flustered and frustrated. Clearly seeing that they had probably woken their baby brother up by accident, the two older boys shared a glance between one another before Kyle went to his younger sibling’s side and tried to shush him while Julio tentatively attempted to wake Vergil up in a manner that he assumed wouldn’t get him a stern lecture later on. Or worse, simply upset him.

Julio didn’t have the slightest idea why the older man was so… antisocial? Was that the right word for it? Regardless, he wanted to stay on his good side. While he wasn’t scared of him by any means since he assumed he meant them no harm and that Nero wouldn’t have entrusted them to someone who was a danger to them, he still didn’t want to make someone he barely knew upset. Vergil was supremely intimidating, especially to a small child. He didn’t want to be on his bad side, especially since he knew that he would probably tell Nero. The last thing he wanted was his father and his grandfather to be upset with him.

“Um… Mr. Vergil? Can we go downstairs? I wanna find our mom.” Julio asked quietly as he gently prodded Vergil’s shoulder. He paused for a moment, waiting for Vergil to turn over and face him or sit up so that he could tell if he’d heard him, but he didn’t move. Still, right as he was considering repeating his request, the child stopped short of raising his hand to repeat his action. Something told him that Vergil was awake and probably just considering his request before delivering a reply. He couldn't be sure, but it just seemed like it to him.

“... Do you have any idea what time it is?” Vergil said in an almost hushed tone, still not moving. Not a single muscle shifted aside from the motion his lips made as his vocal cords moved in the proper manner necessary to assist in the production of the vernacular required to render his request audibly detectable. (Wait… what? Wha?)

The young boy glanced over at the analog clock that sat on the bedside table, unsure as to what the time had to do with anything. He’d overheard someone mention that breakfast went until noon, so he could only imagine that they hadn’t missed it yet. The others wouldn’t leave without them, right?

“Um… It’s nine o’clock, sir.”

Vergil sighed, still not moving. “Is that AM or PM, child?”

Julio furrowed his brow and glanced between Vergil, the window, and the clock, wondering for a moment if simply pointing out the level of light in the room would be an action that could get him into trouble for being rude. It was clearly morning. The sun wouldn’t be out if it wasn’t unless they’d been transported to another planet during the night. And if that was the case, they had an entirely different problem on their hands. After signing under his breath, he shrugged nebulously and decided to respond. After all, what harm could it do?

“That would be nine AM. It’s morning.” He made an earnest attempt to cover up how confused he was by the obvious question he’d just provided an obvious answer to, but Vergil caught the tone of his voice effortlessly. The blue devil slayer didn’t really care one way or another. He simply wanted to see what the child would say to him. He was Nero’s son, after all. Perhaps being around Kyrie or ever the adults at the orphanage they’d adopted him from had taught him some manners. He was inclined to assume the former as opposed to the later. 

From what he understood about public childcare institutions, especially the ones based in remote places like Fortuna, the concept of individual children receiving one on one time with the adults that supervised them was a completely foreign one. They more than likely had no time or interest in making sure that every single child was taught perfect manners, unless it served to expedite their adoption.

Why oh why did he have to meet Nero’s mother in Fortuna?

There were so many places he could conjure up that would've been preferable to that hyper-religious cultist paradise. And yet, there he’d found himself, digging through the archives that the Order of the Sword possessed, more than a little invested in finding out what -if anything- they could tell him about where his beloved father had disappeared to. To this day, Vergil had no idea where Sparda was or what had become of him, and it drove him slightly insane to consider it for any length of time. While it was realistic to assume that he had died and that he simply would never know, Vergil found it incredibly difficult to do so. After all, if the legendary Dark Knight Sparda had been struck down in combat against some unknown advisory, shouldn’t every demon in the underworld know about it? In all the time he’d spent in that accursed place, he’d never once heard such a rumor pass through circulation. The underworld worked on a different time rhythm than the human world did. Their little three day excursion turning into six weeks had been a perfect example of that. What was less than half a century to a seemingly immortal population?

He needed to stop thinking about it. The children needed to be returned to their parents. And he needed to find something to eat before he became even more irritable than he already was. After all, it was far too early to develop such a negative disposition towards the rest of his day. He hadn’t even ran into Dante yet. No, he had to pace himself or this day, like every other day, would get the better of him. There were too many possible undesirable outcomes to contend with to get so befuddled before even parting ways with his bed. He would get the children dressed and ready to meet back up with the rest of their family, and then he would plan accordingly from there. But first, the breakfast bar. He truly did need a snack.

For the sake of the hotel, he hoped they had something with blueberries in it…

(-~-)

Sun pierced the delicate green leaves as a cool breeze blew in from the north. The mountains parted, allowing an ample forest to line its borders. The creek that snakes across the ground in front of them had originated farther up the pass, it’s spawning point basically invisible from where they currently stood. And all the while V couldn’t help but wonder how in the hell he had allowed himself to be talked into this group hiking trip with the girls.

Nero had cited a desire to spend a few hours alone with Kyrie, a request that had garnered a few surprised looks and a teasing whistle from Dante, but they had resolved to head out without him, leaving the young devil hunter to his devices and at the mercy of his lovely domestic partner. Dante had decided to stay behind as well, stating that there was something he wanted to look into. While V was certain that probably had something to do with the fact that the girls hadn’t invited Vergil on this trip due to his lack of presence at the time they had decided to embark on it, he still wasn’t sure why he had decided to come at all. There had never been a time in his entire life that he had aspired to go hiking. Yes, he did enjoy nature in all it’s wild splendor, but he was also woefully clumsy, and clambering up a steep embankment was liable to get him injured in one way or another.

The group had stopped for a moment to catch their breaths when Patty chimed in, more than likely uncomfortable with the silence that had settled over the group. He’d realized that she was the talkative sort practically the moment he’d first seen her, though they had yet to actually introduce themselves to one another. She seemed friendly enough from what he could tell, however, and the others clearly adored her. The young blond woman had been around for quite some time and it showed.

“Ok, so like, I’ve just gotta ask… Does anyone know where we're going?” Patty asked as she gestured to the wide open space around them. She was clearly taken aback by the expanse laid out before her.” Because I like walking around in the woods as much as the next girl, but if I have to get Dante to find us out here or something, it’s going to be super embarrassing and he is never going to let me live it down. You know how he gets.”

“Look, your guess is as good as mine, Blondy. I don’t live here, either. Not even close.” Nico shrugged as she stood up from fixing her shoe. She’d managed to get caught on a fallen branch, and was having a hell of a time picking all the little pieces of debris out of her foot. “What I can tell ya is that V has a magic chicken, and that magic chicken is gonna help us find our way back if we get lost. It’s about the only thing it’s good for besides roasting over a campfire on a stick. A big stick because it’s a big chicken.”

V sighed, already aware that his avian companion wasn’t going to take that comment lying down. He could feel Griffon itching for a fight already, and he was still in his dormant form. The second he manifested, he was probably going to raise hell. For whatever reason, the mouthy bird had a special type of hate reserved for those who referred to him as a chicken. Perhaps he didn’t enjoy the idea of being edible? If so, he was in for a rude awakening if Shadow ever got particularly hungry…

As expected, Griffon suddenly materialized in front of him, clearly riled up and ready for a fight. His beautiful iridescent blue wings sparked it traces of electricity as he flapped furiously in place, shooting Nico an especially angry look. She just stared back at him, he hands on her hips. “You got somethin’ to say, lil chicke? Because you look upset. Better cool off before you roast yourself from the inside out.”

“Why you- now you look here missy, I’m no chicken! I’ll have you know, I was very dangerous in my heyday. You wouldn’t have wanted to mess with me when I was a few hundred sizes bigger!”

Nico shrugged, unthreatened by the mouthy bird. Picking fun at him was one of her favorite pastimes.” Then I would've just needed a bigger net… and a much bigger grill, because it sounds like there would’ve been leftovers! Now unless you're gonna help me fix my boot, go bother Trish or somethin’. I’m a lil busy.”

Griffon mumbled something under his breath about how he’d like to help her, earning him a stern look from V. While the summoner knew he wouldn’t actually do anything to Nico and she wouldn’t do anything to him, he still didn’t need him getting any ideas. Griffon was a crafty sort, and basically everything he did had some sort so wicked streak involved. The last thing he needed was Griffon accidentally igniting some of the dry underbrush and setting the entire forest alight. V had come there to enjoy the splendor and spectacle of nature, not destroy it. Rampant industrialization would do that at some point in the future without any needed input from him. All he needed to do at the moment was not trip over any of the rocks as he made his way to the precipice of the hill. 

Supposedly, there was a lake up ahead. That was the entire reason he’d hauled his beach gear all the way out there. After spending an entire day at the beach, the rest of the team had come to the conclusion that hanging out at the beach for hours at a time with nothing of real substance to entertain themselves with got relatively dull surprisingly quick. And while the pristine waters of the bay area and the shops were fun to look at and good at taking them for every cent that they owned, the forest provided much appreciated things like privacy, shade, and silence. The forest was obscenely quiet compared to the boardwalk, almost uncomfortably so. V almost had to almost physically fight off the urge to smirk as he considered all the quality reading time he might get in during this little expedition. Maybe camping was worth it after all…

“So, I don’t think we’ve talked before! I’m Patty Lowell. And your… um?”

It genuinely took V a minute to register that the young blond woman was talking to him. While they were not particularly far apart in age, he was considerably taller than her, so she just slid below his range of detection without much real effort on his part. That and her talkative nature had earned her a spot on his list of people that he tended to tune out. He had nothing against her, but he just liked to hear the silence inside of his own head every now and then. From what he could tell, she was quite nice, however.

“My apologies, Patty. You can call me V. I intended to introduce myself sooner, but I was… preoccupied.” He said, leaning over slightly to get a better look at her. She looked up at him and smirked, nodding in approval. He didn’t seem to need to elaborate any further as to what had held him up. Still, he was somewhat surprised upon reflection that he had managed to make it through an entire train ride and a dinner with her present without speaking to her even once. He wondered for a moment if she thought he was avoiding her. Hopefully that wasn’t the case.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you! I didn’t think Dante had any family for years before you and Nero showed up. He used to seem so sad sometimes, but now there’s four of you guys! Who would've ever guessed that would happen?” Patty seemed elated as she practically skipped along the path next to him. Despite his towering height compared to her, his commitment to careful foot placement meant that he had to walk considerably slower than he normally did. He didn’t feel like falling on the loose rocks that dotted the river banks they were walking near.” Your his… nephew, right? Like, your Nero’s brother? Older or younger? I bet you're older. I don’t know why, maybe you just seem like you're more mature or something.”

V shrugged slightly and nodded. He wasn’t entirely sure if he’d consider himself more mature than Nero. Perhaps he thought things through a little longer before enacting his plans, but his younger sibling was bright and capable in his own right. Not to mention the responsibility he’d helped take on by helping Kyrie adopt the children. Where were they, by the way? He was willing to bet that little Carlo would enjoy the woods. Maybe they would meet up with them later?

“You’d be correct in that assessment. I am slightly older, although by what margin, I can’t say. We have different mothers.” V said simply, cursing himself internally as the ascended the steepest part of the embankment. The lake was becoming more visible now, though it seemed to be closer to the size of a very large pond than a lake, per say.

Patty made a face as though he’d just told her something absolutely scandalous. He could tell she was being dramatic on purpose, but she’d done so nonetheless and it was honestly somewhat entertaining how animated and excitable she was. To be fair, the idea that Vergil had managed to get multiple members of the opposite sex in bed with him during his youth while Dante had no children of his own was quite interesting in its own right. Maybe she wasn’t too off base after all.

As they reached the top of the hill and approached the pond, V took in the area around him. The scent of fresh water and wet leaves permeated the air as unseen birds chirped and crickets rubbed their legs together to produce their melodious song. Despite the ever present fact that the forest was simply uncomfortable quiet still nagging at the edges of his subconscious, he decided to push his concerns aside for a little while and try to relax. He was determined to make the most out of the situation, especially considering the way yesterday had gone, and it seemed that everyone else was, too.

He could only hope that Nero and Kyrie didn’t make… well, anything else.

Three was enough, as far as he was concerned.

The compact house they called home simply wasn’t big enough for any new editions.

(-~-)

Well, this was fun to write! Only two or three chapters left of the Beach Arc, and then they return… and then the fun really begins. Cue the Phantom of the Opera theme, because things are about to get… dramatic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this was fun to write! Only two or three chapters left of the Beach Arc, and then they return… and then the fun really begins. Cue the Phantom of the Opera theme, because things are about to get… dramatic.


	22. Chapter Twenty Two: Visibility

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Sorry if the pace has been too slow in this story. I feel like Soliloquy might have been more exciting to read, especially since we just made it to chapter 22. But don’t worry, that’s all about to change very soon. Thanks for sticking with me! Between Visions of V and Special Edition, this is a wild time to be writing for the community. I’ve never been so overwhelmed by the lore. I love it!

Chapter Twenty Two: Visibility

(-~-)

The sun approached the edge of the horizon, the sky casting a shadow of vibrant oranges and blues as it traveled over the treetops. The silhouettes of the massive trees that blocked out the evening wind danced in the dim but vibrant light as they stood tall and proud, acting as sentinels in the approaching night. And around the northern bank of the large pond they had claimed as their own stood V, his arms wrapped around himself as he leaned against a nearby tree in silence.

Something was not right about this place.

From the moment they had arrived, it had been too quiet. The path leading to the location seemed to grow more silent with every step they took, and there was no way to properly explain that kind of phenomenon aside from “deeply disturbing” and “possibly problematic”. Against his general sense of self preservation, the young summoner had written it off as nerves at first, assuming that the impenetrable silence was due to the fact that they were venturing further and further from the city and, as such, were exposed to less and less background ambiance as a result. V had spent his fair share of days in the wilderness in the past, after all. But the longer they had stayed here and spent the day enjoying the wonders of the forest, the more V felt an ever present need to leave. It was as though something had invaded his subconscious and lodged itself between whatever receptors controlled rational thought and suppressed anxiety. 

He found it profoundly difficult to focus, and that feeling of fogginess didn’t dissipate as the day carried on. In fact, it intensified to an incredible degree until a slight haze fell over him. And while he was still alert and aware of his surroundings, he couldn’t help but feel as though his head was under water. At times, his hearing seemed muffled or his sight blurred, but then returned to its normal state just as quickly as it had gone. It was as inconvenient as it was troublesome, and it had progressed to the point where V was actually starting to question what could possibly be causing such a phenomenon. 

From what he could tell, everything around him was fine besides him. Perhaps the group had collectively decided that they were just going to ignore whatever this was in favor of enjoying the scenery and didn’t know it because everyone was concealing their true motivations so well? It wouldn’t really surprise him, all things considered. He didn’t blame anyone present for desiring a little bit of normality. But it was nearly impossible to tell if that was the case. And if so, he was going to have to be the killjoy of the group once again. Thankfully Kyrie and the children had left an hour or so ago.

As V stood thinking, Griffon returned from his little adventure. The while haired summoner had tasked his loyal avian companion with scouting out the surrounding area to see if he could locate the source of the issue, he’d saddled himself with the responsibility of trying to figure out whether or not the issue he was experiencing was caused by internal or external forces. V hadn’t exactly had the easiest time since his return from the waiting room of the afterlife and, as an extension of that, he’d been feeling numerous different variations of sensory overload in random intervals ever since.Trying to place what was going on with him without anything to work off of was becoming more and more complicated to do alone, but he didn’t exactly have anyone to go to with questions of that nature. Well, at least not anyone he expected to actually answer them.

“Well, did you find anything?” V said quietly but clearly, not quite whispering as Griffon fluttered to a landing on top of the low hanging tree branch he was standing beneath. Shadow was only a few yards away, now the lucky recipient of Patty’s attention. The only thing that the large demonic house cat enjoyed more than destroying their opponents was receiving head scratches, and Patty's were high quality to say the least. V felt no need to interrupt their fun unless he required her assistance, and at the moment, he was fine.

Griffon fluffed himself up and did something close to a shiver, clearly not thrilled with the concept of whatever he was about to say. The large bird looked like he wanted to puke as he shook his head from side to side, a metaphorical bad taste in his mouth. V craned his neck to one side, his brow furrowing. Oh, this couldn’t be could, could it?

“Oh boy, did I. You're not going to like this, V,” Griffon said as he hopped down off of the branch and onto V’s outstretched arm. As he spoke, he shuffled up closed to his shoulder, allowing the young summoner to lower the majority of his arm. “So get this. I found a cave! Well, it’s not exactly a cave. It’s more of an area with rocks all around it that you have to go into a cave to get into, but you get the gist of it, right?”

V nodded. He wasn’t entirely sure what that had to do with anything, but he decided to let his avian friend finish his little little story before passing any sort of final judgement. Sometimes the fluffy, statically charged bird just rambled a little bit before he got to the point, but the information he provided was generally very helpful. “What is it about this place that set off alarm bells for you? Is there light coming from it?”

Griffon nodded eagerly. If V wasn’t mostly sure that his loyal companion couldn’t make facial expressions, he would have sworn that he saw an almost uncomfortable look cross his face. “That’s just the tip of the iceberg, pall. There has to be at least a dozen people up there, and they are all over the place. That whole operation reeks of demonic power, and it’s just like what you were telling me about before I went to check it out.” Griffon’s tone changed dramatically as he leaned in to look at V. His eyes and tone of voice seemed to darken slightly, an act that both repelled and drew in the young Descendant of Sparda.” Mark my words, V... they’re planning something, and it’s not good. I think whatever is going on with you might be their doing. Like some sort of spell or something that’s supposed to keep people from going over there. I don’t know a whole bunch about magic, but I’m getting a pretty bad vibe from them. I’d stay clear of that whole place if I were you. It’s bad news.”

V seemed to consider Griffon’s words for a moment before looking across the space between himself and the rest of the group. After Nero and Kyrie had spent a few hours away from the rest of the group, they had made the trek to regroup with the rest of them and brought the children along. Dante and Vergil had arrived shortly after, the older of the two seemingly just as disinterested with hiking through the woods as he was with dealing with anything else negative for the remainder of the trip. Much like V, he’d spent most of the day keeping to himself and reading, though V couldn’t help but wonder if he’d noticed the strange occurrences that were plaguing the woods as well. One could only imagine that spending an extended amount of time in the underworld made someone sensitive to such things.

As he allowed himself to consider this possibility for a moment, a familiar face approached him. Nero stretched slightly as he did so, hours of sitting and playing with the children had clearly made him a little stiff. V nodded at his approach, signaling him to come a little closer. The shorter haired man gave him a curious look, but then glanced around himself before doing as his older brother wished and joining him.

“Hey, V. Something going on?” Nero said as he crossed the distance between them. Thankfully he hadn’t felt the need to shout this at him from near the water, or this entire situation might have been a little uncomfortable.

“Possibly.” V said, reaching up to scratch the underside of Griffon’s closest wing. This bird seemed to appreciate the gesture as he shivered in delight. For whatever reason, it was always a trial by fire for him to reach that spot without dislocating his neck in the process.” Griffon may have found something further into the woods. He has reason to believe that there might be something…  _ unsavory _ going on there. Apparently the place radiates excessive amounts of demonic energy.”

“Radiates” is an understatement,” Griffon said, cutting into the conversation between his efforts to preen himself,” That place is a goddamn  _ beacon _ for evil shit. I swear it’s a Hellgate or something, but I can’t be sure. But whatever those folks are doing up there can’t be good. If you want my advice-”

“Nope, not really. I think I’m good.” Nero said as he gestured towards the large blue bird with a nod, casually signaling for him to halt his machinations. That was too many words for him, and he was sure that V could give him the cliff notes version later on.” Let me guess, you wanna check it out, don’t you? And you want me to tag along.”

The older of the two paused for a moment before nodding slowly. “I feel almost compelled to do so. Something about this doesn’t sit right with me. The last time people gathered in the middle of the woods like this and I was in the area… well…” V trailed off towards the end of the conversation, sparing a downward glance towards his leg. Nero followed his gaze, a slightly alarmed look on his face. Was that how…

“Oh. Wait, so you weren’t born like that or something? I figured you’d always been like this.” Nero questioned, careful as to how he phrased his statement. He had no intention of insulting V with his question, but he had the feeling that his older brother wouldn’t tell him if he had done so anyway. That was simply the way he was. In fact, Nero was slightly surprised that he’d reached out to him about this in the first place. He seemed a little out of his element.

“... We can discuss that in greater detail once we return. Are you unarmed?” V said as he spared a glance towards the other six people that were still with them. Lady and Trish seemed to be talking about something, and Vergil hadn't budged from his spot facing away from them towards the pond. Whatever he was reading had caught his attention and kept it. Dante was eating part of a pizza that they had obtained earlier in the day at the behest of the children. And Patty… Well, she was still petting Shadow. Although she had progressed past head scratches and gone straight to belly rubs at this point, much to the bemusement and pleasure of the large feline. V subconsciously noted that he’d never seen Shadow lay on her back and let someone touch her there, and he was slightly confused as to why he’d never had the opportunity to experience this for himself. He would have to rectify that as soon as possible.

Nero shook his head and pointed towards the blanked he’d brought to the little campsite earlier when he’d arrived with Kyrie. “I don’t go into the woods without backup. Last time that happened, I got scratched by some stupid demon and grew a demonic arm.”

V gave him an odd look, but couldn’t help but notice the irony in that statement. It seemed that neither of them were capable of venturing into the woods without running afoul of something or someone and developing life altering injuries. They had more in common than he had initially realized, and it was almost funny how similar their experiences had been in some instances despite the fact that they hadn’t known one another until almost halfway through that year. In a way, V took slight comfort in that.

“I… regret not having an opportunity to see that for myself. What a shame. Was it the same arm?” V said gesturing toward Nero’s right side. The younger of the two glanced downward to double check where he was pointing and then sighed, nodding in conformation.

“Yea, I can’t win with this arm. Hopefully nothing else happens to it. The last couple of years have been such a shitshow.” Nero glanced over towards the blanked he’d brought with them before walking over towards it, leaving V by the edge of the clearing.” Give me a second.”

V watched him go for a moment, considering their next move. Theoretically, things shouldn’t pose much of a problem. They were just going to slip away and go and check things out. Then they’d come right back. If everything went well, no one would even miss them. Dante was preoccupied along with everyone else, and if there was a possible threat, they needed to know about it.

A moment later, Nero returned with his blade in hand. He attacked it to his back and joined V under the tree, ushering for V to lead the way. With a nod, the older of the two recalled Shadow in preparation for their departure, much to Patty’s apparent distress. The two of them had been having the time of their lives together. With a dissatisfied huff, she stood up and walked over to join Dante, grabbing one of the few slices of pizza that remained and flopping down on the ground next to the devil hunter in the red coat. He seemed to welcome her company since they immediately started a conversation, an action that V couldn’t help but envy. If only he could start a conversation with people that easily.

With a final glance in Vergil’s direction, they slipped through the treeline and into the now dark forest. V scratched the top of Griffon’s head before using his thin arm to launch the fluffy blue bird in the direction of the woods. Neither of them had any idea where they were heading, so they were going to have to depend on the mouthy bird to lead them to their destination. That wasn’t a prospect that Nero was entirely comfortable with, but it was the reality of the situation. With any luck, this wouldn’t be a long trip and they would make it back before anyone missed them.

(-~-)

Silence settled over them in a heavy blanket as they headed towards their destination. The ground was damp and shifted easily under foot the closer they got to the top of the hill, a fact that neither of them particularly enjoyed since they could barely see. The forest was unreasonably dark, even when the foliage was taken into consideration. It was almost as if the woods absorbed light and pulled it out of the surrounding atmosphere, because even with demonically enhanced eyesight, Nero couldn’t see a thing. He was unsure as to how good V’s eyesight was relative to his own, but he was willing to believe that he probably agreed with him.

As if to silently concur with him on that issue, V suddenly stumbled over something and landed palms down in the dirt, groaning quietly in dissatisfaction. Nero had attempted to catch him, but he’d underestimated his reach and totally missed him, something that made him feel somewhat stupid. After a moment, he extended his hand towards V in an effort to help him back up. He fished around in the darkness for a moment before reaching up to accept the help, shaking his head in disbelief when he stood up. Judging by the way that he was standing and the slight grimace on his face, he’d clearly done something uncomfortable to his leg in the process.

“Tripping in forests and injuring my leg. Truly the story of my life.” He said with a hint of sarcastic darkness in his tone. He clearly wasn’t very pleased with what had just happened, and it showed. Nero looked him over before turning back towards the correct direction. It was very easy to become disoriented and lost in a place like this, so he felt the need to reaffirm their whereabouts.

“I thought we weren't talking about that until we got back. Changed your mind already?” Nero said as they pressed forward. If he didn’t know better, he would have sworn that it had just grown even darker than before. How was something like that even possible?

V shrugged in the darkness, looking up towards the sky and then back towards the space in front of them. Griffon had indicated that if they continued to go forward, they would reach the cave he’d found shortly. The only problem was that it was further from the clearing than they had originally guessed, and the darkness severely hindered their progress. After all, how were you supposed to walk in a straight line when you couldn’t see anything in front of you? The terrain wasn’t something that they had felt the need to take into consideration when they had decided to do this. Then again, there were many things they hadn’t taken into consideration. 

A part of Nero wanted to turn back and alert the rest of the group, but didn’t. He was confident that they could handle this together, and they were not small children in need of supervision. V had his familiars back now, and although he was still somewhat weak, he hadn’t fallen victim to any dizzy spells since Magnolia had left and turned to the mainland the night after the fight at Fortuna Castle. Nero had no reason to believe that this wasn’t something they could handle.

“I was talking to myself. Nothing has changed since we-” V suddenly paused and stopped dead in his tracks. Nero drifted forward, turning to see what the problem was. An instant later, V grabbed his shoulder and held up his hand to hush any protests, nodding in the direction just ahead of them.

“V what are you-” Nero started, earning him a frustrated look from V as the older of the two pointed in the direction of something immediately to the left of them. Nero turned to find light radiating off of the nearby trees as it shined from within the cave that they now stood only a few yards from the mouth of. Three people walked into the opening, casting long shadows behind themselves that stopped just a few feet in front of the two youngest Descendants of Sparda. Judging by their familiar black outfits, they had just walked into the last place they needed to be.

These were the same cultists that had been after V in Fortuna.

And they had just walked right up to their front door.

Before either of them could process this information, the sound of a tree breaking behind them under the strain of something heavy took them by surprise. As they moved to locate the source of the sound, a vibrating hum could be heard from seemingly everywhere around them at once, immediately followed by the sound of wicked echoing laughter. Slightly alarmed, the two of them glanced around themselves in an attempt to try and locate the source of the sinister noise just as the ground beneath them began to ripple like water and the sound of a deep, hollow bell toll echoed through the surrounding area. A rapidly spinning scythe erupted from the ground between them followed by an unearthly howl as they were both knocked back across the ground in opposing directions, making impact with the trees. As quickly as they had arrived, they had been rendered a bloody mess, staggering about in an effort to try and figure out what was happening and where the attack was coming from. 

V winced slightly as he held the side of his now bleeding head, shaking it slightly in an attempt to regain focus and clarity of vision in spite of the pounding sensation that rocked his skull. Unfortunately, the blood running down the side of his head onto his face didn’t make that very easy, and neither did all the now wet hair that clung to the right side of his head. Meanwhile, Nero tried to walk off the cut he’d just received across the bottom of the side of his back, clearly as agitated as he was injured. Although his demonic powers were making short work of the injury, it still stung like hell and served as a powerful distraction from the task at hand. Neither of them were mortally injured, but the fact that they would have easily been killed in that instant if they hadn’t both moved out of the way when they did was not lost on them.

Whatever this was, they needed backup. It needed to die before it could launch a follow up attack against them. After all, there was nowhere to run to in this place. Behind them stood impenetrable darkness, and before them stood the cult that had nearly taken Magnolia and V’s lives the last time they had crossed paths. Nothing about the situation was hopeful.

Just as the large, cloaked demon attempted to fully emerge from the ground, V and Nero regrouped, rallying behind one another in an attempt to prepare themselves for another oncoming attack. If they stayed close together, they could watch each other’s back and two directions at once. Despite the fact that they were both somewhat injured and couldn’t dodge any oncoming attacks very easily, it was the only option they could employ against an enemy they could barely see.

Seconds later, a glowing black rift suddenly opened in the air a few dozen feet above them, the sickening laughter and howling of the demon returning as the bell tolled yet again. Both Nero and V drew a blank in that moment, entirely unsure as to what to do about a demon that could attack them from such an impossible position. Nero knew he couldn’t draw his gun that quickly, and Griffon would be no use against an opponent such as this, even if V could force him to manifest that quickly.

No, they were simply fucked.

As the cackling monstrosity plunged downward out of the sky towards them, spinning it’s colossal blade like a propeller composed of death, there was suddenly an eruption of light as an unseen force collided with the demon, meeting it head on and stopping it dead in it’s tracks in mid air. The scythe shattered like glass as a huge blue slash arched several meters across the space between them and cleaved the demon in two down the middle, taking the two trees behind it with it.

Nero and V watched as the vaguely familiar blue demon landed gracefully on it’s feet, sheathing its blade slowly with a ringing click before the suspension of reality around them faded and the demon, along with both trees, toppled over with a loud crash, falling into pieces around them. They were both dazed, and V was still bleeding from his skull, but altogether more alive than they would’ve been if he had not come to their rescue. Although they had not seen this form before, neither of the two young devil hunters needed to ask who their savior was. Nero had battled against it more advanced from before himself, and V recognized that kind of power anywhere. A moment later, the glowing blue demonic being that had once stood before them faded away with a cascade of light, allowing the darkness to return and leaving a familiar devil slayer in its place. A moment later, he turned to face them both.

It was Vergil.

And he  _ did not _ look pleased.

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It begins… Bring forth the angst! Boy of boy, are things about to get interesting. I hope you liked this chapter, because things are only going to get more exciting from here! See you on Friday for the next chapter and stay safe!


	23. Chapter Twenty Three: Wayward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: The comments on the last section were amazing! Vergil is probably having one hell of a time trying to comprehend how his kids keep finding their way into dangerous situations. I guess it runs in the family, even when your supposed to be the smart one *glares at V*. Everyone in the Sparda family needs to learn what “teamwork” and “asking for help” are!

Chapter Twenty Three: Wayward

(-~-)

As the tree made impact with the ground and rolled uselessly into the clearing near the entrance to the cavern, the air between the trio stilled. The makeshift battlefield they currently occupied fell silent with only the sound of their breathing to provide any indication of life. They stood there for a moment, not really sure how to react to the situation they found themselves in. Without a doubt, anyone within the cave had heard the commotion and would probably set upon them like wolves in a moment’s time. Taking on an entire battalion of summoners didn’t seem like a plausible strategy, but neither did a tactical retreat. Where would they go when they couldn’t see? 

And then there was the matter at hand. Vergil had an unreadable look on his face, and neither Nero or V could tell what that meant in regards to them. While both of them wanted to say something, they couldn’t shake the feeling that they had probably fucked up royally, a theory that their father’s relatively hostile disposition seemed to support. He didn’t seem angry with them, per say. If anything he might have been surprised to find them when and where he did. But he was not pleased with them regardless, and they both suddenly found themselves caring about that much more than they normally would. They felt like children that had just been caught with their entire arm in a jar of sweets, and neither of them knew how to process that. Being deathly embarrassed by their actions in front of a parent wasn’t something that they were accustomed to.

Perhaps if they simply explained what they were doing there…

Vergil closed his eyes for a moment before exhaling, shifting his sword to his offhand. While he was still on high alert, he seemed to acknowledge that he came off as very menacing to them both. While that wasn’t something he’d normally take into consideration and would probably welcome as a teaching tool considering how much he wanted to grab them both by the backs of their shirts and drag them to the relative safety of the hotel, this wasn’t the time. They both appeared to me mildly injured, and they were going to have to cooperate in order to get out of this situation. Or at least they were going to have to cooperate with him in order to do so. He was the one scrambling to formulate a plan at the moment, and they were going to have to go along with it once he worked out the details.

“What are you both doing out here?” He said succinctly, resting his head on the knuckles of his right hand and closing his eyes for a moment to think. Truly, the two of them would be the death of him someday,” Do you have even the slightest idea what this place is?”

V sighed, resigning himself to his untimely demise. Vergil was clearly displeased with them, and he had a feeling that wasn’t going to change anytime soon. “No. As a matter of fact, we do not. That’s why I asked Nero to accompany me here in the first place. I wanted to investigate.” V was clearly still reeling from his head injury, but that didn’t seem to affect his cognitive abilities. Regardless, their collective discomfort with the amount of bleeding he was doing only grew the more he tried to cover it up.” This was my idea. If you want someone to be angry with, it should be me.”

Nero shot V a surprised glance before turning his attention back to their father. While that was indeed the case, he was surprised to hear him admit it so readily, especially since Vergil hadn’t asked them that . While he wouldn’t pretend to understand his motivations for doing so, he appreciated it nonetheless. It wasn’t like Vergil could ground them or something…  _ Could he? _

The blue devil slayer looked at the older of the two for a moment, tilting his head back and slightly to the side as though he were considering something. He folded his arms loosely, switching Yamato back to his dominant hand, his interest clearly piqued by something unseen. After a moment, he gave a single, barely perceptible nod and turned his attention back to the entrance to the cave. Nero got the distinct feeling that he wasn’t going to like where this conversation was going.

“... If I had not intervened at precisely the moment that I did, you would be  _ dead _ . I trust you both realize that. I expect you to do more than just rush in blind and hope for the best. That rarely works.” Vergil still didn’t face them. Instead, he gestured towards the forest behind them, nonchalantly indicating something.” Fighting an opponent this close to a Conduit is not advisable, but nothing about this idea was, so we will have to adapt accordingly.”

“The gravity of that is not lost on me, I assure you.” V said quietly, clearly taking Vergil’s comment to heart. After all, the frankly unacceptable amount of blood loss he was currently suffering from spoke for itself. If the demon that had attacked them had managed to get the drop on them from above like it had intended to, they would be mortally wounded at best. Well, at least V would be. Nero tended to recover remarkably fast. But there were always exceptions to the rule, and a swift and deadly attack might have been all that the demon needed to finish the battle then and there. The very thought that he might have gotten Nero killed sent an unpleasant chill up his spine.

He had to do better.

While V seemed to be visibly perturbed by their father’s assessment, Nero was more than slightly annoyed. That being said, he realized that he needed to cooperate with him until they were out of this place. They could hash things out after they escaped the cult’s stomping grounds. 

“A Conduit? What the hell is that? Some sort of Hellgate?” Nero asked, slightly irritated by his father’s lack of elaboration. So he’d know that something was there the entire time that might be dangerous and had chosen not to say anything? What the hell?

Despite the fact that Vergil wasn’t facing them, Nero could tell that the question irked him slightly. He’d more than likely assumed that they would simply ask him what his plan was and go along with it. It seemed that he hadn't factored in the possibility that Nero would want him to elaborate. Or perhaps he had assumed that he might and had simply hoped that he wouldn’t given the current situation. It was genuinely difficult to tell considering how little Vergil was giving away, but it didn’t really matter one way or the other. All Nero knew was that they needed to do something about this.

“They are similar. This is a place where the Underworld bleeds into the human world and the line between the two is blurred. As such, it is one of the few places where one can cross over without needing a full gate.” Vergil turned to face them then, seemingly calmer than before, but still obviously displeased. It had been dangerous and foolish to come there, and he wanted to make sure that they understood that.” And that is why you shouldn’t be here. Leave. I will cover you.”

It was Nero’s turn to feel a visceral sense of discomfort. Something about the way he said that cut him deeply. He didn’t like feeling as though he was a burden to anyone, least of all those closest to him. While he wasn’t entirely sure where the more experienced devil slayer factored into that equation, Vergil was still his father and it made him feel as though he’d disappointed him in some way. Like they both had. And despite that disappointment, he’d still saved them instead of allowing them to learn a painful lesson at the end of a devil’s scythe. He was grateful for that, but couldn’t shake the feeling that they should all feel more relieved than ashamed. He was conflicted to say the least.

“Where would we even go? The clearing isn’t much better, and returning to the hotel would only serve to put innocent lives at risk. Would it not be better to see things through to the very end and stop this here and now?”

Vergil gave him a look that was hard to interpret. It seemed to be equal parts irritation and exhaustion. While he was more than physically capable of continuing to fight, the concept of doing so while also having to keep tabs on his two troublesome offspring seemed insurmountable. Hell forbid one of them actually be wounded. He would probably level the entire region. That wasn’t a good look. He’d put a notable amount of effort into not going down that path again, but if anything would be enough to send him toppling over the edge, the untimely demise of one of his young sons would certainly be enough. He’d suffered through enough tragedy, despair, and death for one lifetime.

“You're in no condition to…” Vergil stopped as he caught sight of the look on Nero’s face. He suddenly seemed livid.

“Believe me, he’s been through worse. Don’t sell him short.” Nero said, clearly displeased with Vergil’s assessment of his older sibling. He gestured towards V, stepping forward slightly to close the distance between himself and his wayward father.” He’s not going to die that easy. Redgrave City wasn’t that long ago, and if I remember correctly, he made it through a month in that hellhole without us. He’s half the reason we beat you in the first place! Let’s at least hear him out.”

V and Vergil both stared at Nero in silence for a moment. While everyone present was more than aware of the time pressure they were under, they felt the need to put their cards on the table and know what the plan of action was before they committed to a course of action. Nero’s resolve threw them both for a loop, V more so than Vergil. While Vergil had confidence in V’s capacity to make rational decisions and take care of himself in most situations, he clearly didn’t in this one. He wanted them  _ both _ out of the line of fire. To hear that Nero was so firmly in his corner despite the fact that he had no idea what he had in store and after he’d almost led him to his death just a few short minutes ago…

The amount of trust Nero had in V… he was touched. No. That wasn’t nearly enough.

He was truly humbled.

V made an effort to step forward, finding that the blood loss had made him somewhat less steady. He didn’t feel dizzy so much as he did uncomfortable. His head throbbed like a dull toothache, and he was certain that he was probably going to need medical attention after this. Again. What a time for Magnolia to be away from the rest of the group. No, that was probably for the best. After all, she was still recovering from her own wounds. There was no reason to get her wrapped up in all of this.

Resting his hand on Nero’s shoulder for a moment, V stepped past him and towards Vergil. He wanted to be sure that Vergil heard him and comprehended his intentions to the fullest. “I have a plan. But it’s a bit complicated. And you're not going to like it. But I need you to trust me.”

Nero reslisted the the urge to laugh to himself at that statement. Wasn’t everything he had to do with complicated? By his very nature, V was bad luck walking at times. While Nero cared about V and would never speak ill of him, the last thing that he was willing to say about him was that he was easy to understand. On a surface level, the basic ins and outs of his personality were not too difficult to understand. As such, it didn’t take too long to figure out how to interact with him and stay on his good side. But only a colossal imbecile would be insane enough to think that V was a simple person. He’d never seen a person who was so frequently embroiled in chaos. But despite it all, he’d made it this far. And he respected that about him.

With a nod, Nero glanced at Vergil who then let out a sound somewhere between a growl and a sigh. Everything about this situation made him supremely uncomfortable, and he didn’t like it one bit. The Darkslayer had a feeling he knew what V was going to suggest, and while it could work, it was a risk that he was totally at odds with. The last time they had encountered the cult, V had been badly wounded. And while the last group that had set upon them had more than likely been underlings, their leader had been a fair bit more competent. Vergil was willing to bet that since they seemed to be a larger group than he’d originally guessed, they were going to make an effort to guard their base of operations. And that meant that their stronger ranks would probably be present.

When Vergil had wished that he could kill something to blow off some steam the day before, this hadn’t been what he had in mind.

“Very well. Let’s hear this idea then.” Vergil said almost morbidly. This was going to be a long night.

(-~-)

It had started to rain.

As if things couldn’t get any worse, it had started to rain.

The sound of thunder permeated the air as the cult pursued them relentlessly through the woods, their intent to catch them evident in every action they initiated. Trees toppled left and right and stone shrapnel blasted left and right as V ducked and tired to avoid taking further damage. He’d been scratched and marred several times during their pursuit, and to say that he was tired of the sensation of small bits of wood and earth blasting him in the back was an understatement.

From what he could tell, he was heading back towards the clearing. That was their destination after all. The rain seemed to be struggling to penetrate the leafy foliage, but the ground had become slick nonetheless, throwing off his footing further as he slipped behind the trees in an attempt to lose his pursuers. But they were close. Exceedingly close. As soon as they had made an attempt to leave, they had set upon them like hounds in a hunt, announcing to one another that they had found who their “master” was looking for. While V hadn’t been shocked by this revelation considering the fact that the last time he’d faced them they had informed him that their leader wished to speak with him, he was no more eager to meet with them now than he had been two weeks ago.

The sound of wild snarling filled the air as the Hellhounds pursued him. He was their quarry and there was no doubting that. All he could hope for was that Nero and Vergil made it to their destination in time and that he was able to draw their attention elsewhere in the meantime. He didn’t feel comfortable taking any chances against at least a dozen of those wretched hounds. With the level of visibility that he currently possessed, he’d probably accidentally kill himself instead of them if that was somehow possible. V was relatively sure that his familiars couldn’t actually harm him.

Griffon made an attempt to flank him, shooting illuminating blasts of energy towards the slavering beasts as they tried to make their escape. Shadow was no good here. The terrain was too uneven to utilize her transportation abilities effectively, and he couldn’t see well enough to steer. All in all, the situation was incredibly dire and there was little hope of that changing anytime soon.

“Oh, you’ve really gone and done it now, V. This plan of yours is brilliant. Just brilliant!” Griffon shouted as he flapped his wings rapidly, trying his level best to keep up with him. The wiley bird was having a hell of a time navigating the dark underbrush, even though he could see a little better than his master.” You’ve officially lost your mind. You and your whole damn family! I’m amazed Vergil went along with this batshit crazy plot. I mean, the brat I expect, but Vergil?! I don’t even know what to say. Were doomed!”

“Have a little faith in me, will you? Have I ever given you a reason to distrust my motives?” V said breathlessly as he dropped down from a low elevation into the creek below. Ah, yes. More water. Just what he needed. He was going to be sick for ages if this kept up. Nothing he was wearing was sufficient for this awful weather. He’d catch his death for sure.

“Your kidding right? You have to be joking. Yes! I doubt you all the time, V! You're totally off of your rocker most of the time. You just look sane!” Griffon somehow managed to shake his head as he flew, nearly launching head first into the trunk of a thick tree as he did so.” But not this time, ok? This time you’ve signed your own death warrant. I don’t know what to tell ya, kid. Were fucked!”

V was going to offer a response to his avian companion, but just as he did opened his mouth to do so, his foot became tangled in the underbrush and he tumbled forward, launching himself off of what could be charitably described as an extremely tall and very steep hill. He tumbled weightlessly towards the bottom, somehow managing to hit close to every branch and rock on the way down. Griffon yelped in horrified surprise as he dived down to try and break his fall, flapping furiously. Despite his best efforts, he only managed to reach him after he came to a stop at the edge of another segment of the stream, his head laying only inches from the water’s edge.

As soon as he made impact with the ground, he gasped in discomfort, almost certain that he’d probably dislocated part of his leg. Although he was lying chest down in the mud, the unmistakable sensation was impossible to miss. He’d felt it before on more than one occasion. V considered the fact that he should probably be glad that it was always the same leg, but he was far too uncomfortable to think that clearly. As Griffon landed next to him and assessed his condition, the telltale light of the flashlights carried by the cultists shined from above him. They had more than likely heard him fall, and they were going to catch up with him. There was no point in debating it.

Griffon nudged V, panickedly urging him to find the resolve to climb to his feet and flee. The young summoner shook his head, breathing somewhat heavily as a result of his current condition and the fall that had caused it. He raised his head to look at him, shaking it side to side to indicate his condition as he lay chest down in the damp river bank. He wasn’t going anywhere, and they both knew it. The only way he was leaving there in the custody of his enemies, and they were going to have to drag him if they wanted any chance of getting him back to their base of operations. There was no way that he could climb back up that cliff.

“Go. Do what we discussed. Make sure they don’t see you. And make haste. I have no idea what they have planned for me, and I have no desire to find out.” V said before laying his head back down and trying to ignore the discomfort he felt in his lower body. He had been through worse. He would make it through this.

The large iridescent blue bird shook his head before bolting up into the air. He didn’t like where this was going. Not one bit. But he had no choice. This was the only way. With a solemn sigh, he glanced in V’s direction one last time before bolting straight up through the top of the trees and out of sight of the cultists. “I sure hope you're right, V. I really do.”

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> … You didn’t think I’d tell you what the plan was, did you? FOOLISHNESS! Don’t be absurd! No, you have to suffer through this with me! Why? Because it’s 2020 and suffering has been made into an art form! I’ll see you next week! I warned you that things were about to take a turn! *Evil laughter.*


	24. Chapter Twenty Four: Discretion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: I’ve just gotta say, I LOVE the comments that I got on the last chapter! Jokes on YOU, I’m crying too! I just use humor to mask my pain like Dante because it’s my only coping method! I’m worried about V, too and I wrote this shit! *Cry laughing*. Oh I’m so sorry, V. Please forgive me!

Chapter Twenty Four: Discretion

(-~-)

The coming storm built up momentum as it coated the forest below in a heavy layer of fog and rain. The air cooled down considerably as the minutes ticked by, night settling in earnest across the region and somehow making it even more difficult to see. As he neared the edge of the clearing to make a timely rondevu with the rest of the team, Griffon couldn’t help but shake his head at the insanity unfolding before him. If he strained the reaches of his subconscious, he could swear that he could still hear Nero and Vergil protesting V’s proposal, the plan seemingly unfathomable to them. 

While the concept was sound, the actual execution of the plan depended upon variables that none of them could control. While Nero was a bit more flexible in terms of ideas presented to him, Vergil couldn’t claim anything of the sort. Minimizing dependence on outside factors was quite literally a way of life for him, and the idea that the lives of either of his sons could fall into that category practically made his blood boil. But V’s counter-argument had been difficult to turn down, especially with the prospect of being rid of the cult forever on the table. It all came down to Vergil’s willingness to tolerate a plan that he despised, but he agreed to do so against his better judgement. At the end of the day, this was the best overall method of thinning out the ranks and being free of this threat for the foreseeable future.

At least Vergil still got to cut down his enemies…

Griffon landed with a firm thud, shaking rain droplets off of the tree as he came to a stop before the rest of the group. Being the only one who was experienced with a weapon who they could afford to spare, Nico had volunteered to get everyone out of town and onto the train. She had her own undisclosed plans as to how she intended to accomplish this that she wasn’t disclosing, but that was her primary objective overall. The last two days had been a refreshing change of pace, but there was no way in hell they were staying in town with the potential things had for going catastrophically wrong. While the young mechanic doubted that the city would end up under a pile of ash and rubble like Redgrave City had, she still thought that it was a good idea to round up Patty, Kyrie, and the children and skip town. And it was an idea that the rest of the team wholeheartedly supported. Having bystanders in the line of fire was never a good policy, especially when those bystanders were family.

They were in unfamiliar territory, and fixing that as quickly as possible was a solid idea. As soon as Lady and Trish had returned from escorting Patty and Nico to the relative safety of the hotel, they would return to help back up the rest of the team. But for the moment, Griffon had the stage, and his audience was what remained of Sparda’s descendants. Well, at least those of them that were present.

“Oh boy, I don’t like anything about this plan.” The vibrant blue bird said as he shook his head, totally unsure as to how the situation he currently found himself in was going to pan out,” I got out of there just in time. That cult made off with V right after I left. I heard them say something about taking him back to their base. It has to be that cave, right?”

Dante shrugged, totally unsure as to what was going on. All he knew was that Nero had bolted back into the clearing at top speed with Vergil behind him and that his older twin looked less than pleased about whatever had happened back there. He’d stepped away for a moment to figure out where they had disappeared to, casually mentioning that he was going to figure out where they’d gone. But when Nero had returned with more than a few cuts and bruises, and V hadn’t returned at all, Dante knew that something was terribly wrong. 

Vergil was clearly on edge, despite the fact that he was doing an excellent job of hiding it from everyone around him. Well, everyone but Dante. The younger of the two knew his older twin’s mannerisms far too well for that to sway him. But at the same time, he couldn’t help but agree with the wiley bird’s assessment of the situation they currently found themselves in. The youngest Son of Sparda had precisely no idea what had happened back there and the same amount of input in the plan, but he knew that he was a part of it and he’d take the opportunity to rip Vergil a new one about it after V was safe. 

As much as he’d like to tell his frigid twin off for not explaining things to him, a part of him was actually happy that he knew he could depend on him to help him, even without asking him first. Even if Dante would have preferred that they discuss things beforehand, he was relieved to know that Vergil finally trusted him to some measurable degree. He’d been on the fence about it for a long time.

“So what’s the plan then?” Dante asked, looking over his twin pistols idly. He wasn’t so much checking their condition as he was trying to find something to do to occupy his wandering mind.” I mean, there is a plan, right?”

Griffon shrugged, flapping his wings. He was honestly just as lost as Dante was. “Your guess is as good as mine. V didn’t explain the fine details to me. He just sort of does things sometimes and I just go along with them. All he had to say was that “everything was going according to plan”. Cryptic little brat.”

Both Dante and Nero were willing to agree with that statement. Sometimes V really did do things that made them consider that fact that he might be slightly unhinged. Vergil folded his arms, clearly unamused with the entire situation. Did they really have time for pleasantries and small talk considering the situation?

“I assume he sent you to lead us back?” Vergil said as he stepped towards the edge of the woods. He didn’t strictly need the rest of them to come with him. He’d found the cave once, and he’d find it again. He had to.” That part of the forest is thick with dark magic and, as such, is incredibly difficult to navigate. Having an aerial view would be advantageous.”

Griffon nodded and took off towards the sky, double checking the trajectory they needed to follow. Vergil addressing him wasn’t something he was used to, and he got the distinct impression that Vergil was only doing so to further his own goals. Luckily for both of them, they were on the same wavelength in that regard. Everyone present wanted nothing more than to help facilitate V’s safe return and take down the cult that had seemingly developed an unhealthy fascination with him since his return from the underworld. If Griffon could help in some way, then they were glad for it. But how long could the blue bird stay away from his master?

“Well, let’s get out of here then. We can talk on the way, right?” Nero said as he followed after Vergil. “Wasting time here talking when we don’t know what they have planned isn’t going to get us anywhere or help V.” 

Dante returned his guns to the holsters and nodded in conformation. Nero made a good point. Their limbs and mouths worked in tandem. Why not use them that way? V was skilled at adjusting to difficult situations, but if the cult had magic and demons at their disposal, who knew what they could be capable of. The longer they spoke, the more Dante got the feeling that he understood the premise of the plan. And the less he liked some of the finer details of it. Giving the cult exactly what they were looking for was a good way to gain access to their domain, but to what end? How did that benefit them? After all, there was no way that Vergil and Nero would've accidentally left him behind. As he entered the forest behind them, Dante took one last look at the peaceful clearing behind them. He had to agree with Griffon. This particular mission had “bad news” written all over it.

(-~-)

Panic worry and calm vigilance melded into one tense atmosphere as everyone packed their bags in a blind rush in anticipation for the trip home. While they were shaving off almost an entire day from their trip, no one had the time to worry themselves with such trivial concerts and they rolled their belongings into messy tubes and tossed them into their suitcases. They could do this again somewhere else at a later date, but they had to live that long first. 

Lady and Trish watched the door to the room with a level of professionalism born of the kind of experience that came with a lifetime of fighting the denizens of the underworld. Under no circumstances were they going to let anything harm their companions, human or otherwise. While it was true that they didn’t tangle with humans very often and normally stuck to the more overtly demonic cases, they had been forced to take up arms against less demonic foes in the past. The only thing worse than fighting a crafty demon was fighting one that was backed by an intelligent human.

Hopefully this subsect of the cult wasn’t very smart.

“Look, Love, all you need to do is make it to the train station and head back to town. I’ll be there to back you up as soon as you arrive.” Magnolia said firmly from the other end of the phone. There was no questioning the honesty and seriousness from which her statement had been spawned.” I protect my own, and those cultists are going to rue the day they threatened you sweet girls. Stay safe until then!”

Nico nodded in agreement, not considering the fact that the older woman couldn’t see her from this end of the phone. She still had Magnolia’s number in her pocket from the card she’d given Nero before they had departed back to Fortuna with V. The young mechanic wasn’t entirely sure if she was stepping out of line by asking for help, and she didn’t care. Anything that kept the people she cares about safe was a win in her book, and she trusted Magnolia. All she could hope for was that they would arrive back in town safely and that the botanist didn’t have to reopen any existing injuries to save them. Nico didn’t know if she could live with any untimely deaths on her conscience, especially when it was someone who had shown her nothing but kindness. That, and Magnolia was basically Vergil’s only friend. Getting her killed was bound to have negative consequences.

“Don’t work about it, Magnolia. We're gonna leave here as soon as I get off the phone with ya. The train ride is only a couple of hours. Seeya then!” Nico said, trying her best to sound confident and sure of herself. She wasn’t lying, but she did have her reservations. She could practically feel Magnolia’s concerned smile through the phone as she wished her a safe trip and hung up, leaving Nico holding the receiver with nothing but the sound of the dial tone to keep her company. All she could do now was hope for the best and do what she could to help everyone get out of there safe. The gunsmith sighed and turned to the rest of the group, pleased to find that they were all packed and ready to head out. All she could do now was hope that the cultists didn’t know who they were.

“Is everyone ready to go?” Trish asked, giving the room a once over. Lady unfolded her arms and reached down to grab her luggage bag. She shared a similar sentiment. The trip had been fun, but she was ready to get the hell out of there and back to a more familiar place. At least she would have an advantage to use against her opponents back in Dante’s stomping grounds.

Everyone nodded or vocalized in agreement, trying their best to hide their uncertainty. The children were too little to comprehend the danger they were in, and to a certain degree, they were glad for that. The last thing anyone wanted was for the children to have another thing to keep them up at night.

“Yea, were good. Let’s get outta here! The train is gonna be here in like twenty minutes!” Nico said as she helped grab the bags and herd the children towards the door. Someone was going to have to pick Carlo up to keep him from lagging behind or wandering off in the commotion. She just hoped it would be someone else. She didn’t have a hand to spare.

“Okay then! You head down towards the lobby. Trish will lead the way and I’ll cover your backs. Let’s get out of here before they find us.” Lady stood out of the way and allowed Trish to leave the room, followed closely by Kyrie, Patty, Nico, and the children. Moving with a group this large was going to be a challenge.” Paying repair fees to the hotel is  _ not _ going to be the thing that finally sends me into bankruptcy. Let’s get out of here in one piece, okay?”

As soon as the room was empty, Lady closed the door behind them and bolted after the rest of the group. The only straightforward path in the entire place was the route down to the lobby. If they could make it down there and out of the building, all they had to do was go a handful of blocks up the street. Then they were home free. And she was going to make sure they got there in one piece. She’d never be able to face Nero again if something happened to Kyrie or the kids, and Dante would literally go to hell and back for Patty. She couldn’t let her family down.

(-~-)

“Why are there always so many people willing to jump at the opportunity to join some sort of sinister death cult?!” Nero said as he kicked one of the cultists in the chest, knocking them off the side of the cliff they were facing towards. They wouldn’t need to worry about that guy anymore. “Like, where do all these idiots keep coming from?! Is there a super villain lackey shop or something?!”

“Because it is the nature of humans to seek power beyond their current threshold, and they latch onto those that promise to deliver that to them.” Vergil said as he came to a stop, sheathing Yamato. Half a dozen cultists that he had taken off guard toppled over in a very upsetting way, clearly no longer a factor in the current battle. “All one must do to gain the trust of another is promise them something they do not currently possess that they seek to acquire, and many will see that as enough justification to commit unspeakable atrocities.”

Nero raised an eyebrow, giving Vergil a sideways look before turning to face Dante. “Care to translate, Dante? Your brother is speaking another language again!” 

The youngest Son of Sparda had just finished off his opponent’s summon and was pursuing them. The hooded man was spouting some indecipherable nonsense about something he didn’t care to understand and throwing everything between them at the red coat wearing devil hunter in an attempt to slow his approach. In a way, Dante pitied them. They seemed to be clearly out of their minds, the presence of so much demonic power and the toll of summoning so many demons with so little training had clearly robbed them of their humanity and their sentience. All that was left of them were the shells of what had once been people. But now they were twisted beyond recognition. Despite the fact that they were human, they were more akin to a demon than any pure blooded human should be. He’s seen powerful pure blood demons that could easily pass as more human than these poor husks pretending to be living beings. No. They were like worker ants, more akin to the Empusa than anything from the human world that wasn’t an insect ought to be. And he needed to find out who the leader of the hive was and give them a heavy dose of insect repellent.

Whoever was in charge of this cult needed to be stopped before any more lives were ruined.

“You think I know? I wasn’t really listening! Nothing Vergils says makes sense to me.” Dante said as he closed in on the cultist and finished him off quickly. No need to drag things out. His life had clearly been filled with enough suffering. No need to rub salt in his wounds.” Something about how it’s easy to trick desperate people into doing stupid things for you, if I was going to make an educated guess. Why don’t you ask him?”

Vergil finished off the last of the demons, grabbing one of the cultists around the collar and slamming him into a nearby tree with enough force to shatter both him and the sturdy oak in two. They groaned and shook their head, clearly dazed.

“You're going to tell me where the rest of your ilk took him, or things will not end well for you.” Vergil said sternly, making eye contact with the young man in the hood.” My companions are patent. I am much less so.  _ Do not test me _ .”

The younger man stared at him, clearly intimidated. “ B-but Agreus will kill me if he finds out I said anything! I can’t!”

”Yes, I’m quite sure he will. That is  _ not _ my problem. You should’ve put more care into who you trusted in the first place.” Vergil gave him a sideways glance, allowing a hint of his demonic power to manifest in the form of his eyes flashing an eerie red for a moment.” But I am here now, and while he  _ might _ kill you, I assure you that if any harm should come to my son, you will wish that was all I did. There are worse fates. Trust me.”

A visible look of horrified shock crossed the cultist as his blood ran ice cold. It was evident to anyone that could see him that he took Vergil’s threat to heart. With a sigh, he raised a shaky hand and pointed in the direction of the cave, barely hiding his worry. In that moment, he was more afraid of Vergil than he had been of anything in his entire short life. Not only was he sure that the Darkslayer could kill him,  _ he knew that he wouldn’t hesitate to do so. _

“Follow that p-path towards the interior of the cave. The part you can see here is only the mouth of a greater cavern that stretches several miles under the forest. At the end of the left fork is the cave you're looking for. You can’t miss it! They took him that way, I swear! Something about Master Agreus wanting to understand “what the dark lord saw in him”. I don’t think they plan to kill him, though. No. Master Agreus might be our leader, but he answers to a much higher power. A terrifying power. And that power is what is after that kid. We just do what they tell us to. I’m sorry, I didn’t know they would do something like this. I didn’t sign up to kidnap people! None of us did.”

Vergil yanked the younger man away from the tree and forced him in the direction of the woods before releasing him with a forceful shove. The younger man glanced at him for a moment, wrapped in confusion as the Darkslayer allowed Yamato’s blade to peak out of its scabbard. “Leave before I come to my senses.”

“Your… not going to kill me?” The older teen asked, clearly shocked by his decision. If he had been in Vergil’s place, he wasn’t sure what he would’ve done to the man who had helped kidnap his child.” What if I’m lying.”

“Then you're a fool and you should spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder for me. Now go before I bathe my blade in your blood and leave your corpse here for the wolves.” Vergil said, far beyond the limit of his patience. Was this foolish boy actually going to stand there and look a gift horse in the mouth? Humans were truly something else…

“T-thank you! I hope you find him.” The young man said as he took off running in the direction of the forest. Vergil doubted his ability to navigate in the vast darkness, but he’d made his way out there so there was no way of knowing. Regardless, he was no longer the eldest Son of Sparda’s problem. As the young man disappeared into the darkness, Vergil turned in the direction of the cave and his two companions, both of which seemed genuinely surprised at his decision. Vergil half groaned and passed them, heading into the cave. Dante and Nero shared a glance at one another before following him.

“So Vergil, why didn’t you…” Dante started, unsure of how to approach the topic in a way that wouldn’t reignite his twin’s barely contained blood lust. It seemed that his older brother possessed more restraint than he gave him credit for.

Vergil stopped for a moment, glancing over his shoulder at Nero. While his response was a result of Dante’s inquiry, his response was meant more for his youngest son than his twin brother. “... I don’t kill  _ children, _ Dante. I see no need to elaborate further.”

With that, Vergil continued towards their objective. It had been entirely too long since they had heard from Griffon, and Vergil was admittedly concerned for what that might mean for his oldest child. Hindsight is twenty-twenty, and as such, Vergil loathed the fact that he had agreed to go along with this foolish plan. But he felt the need to allow Nero and V to prove that they were as capable as he believed them to be. After all, they  _ were _ descendants of Sparda and they had worked together to bring him down in Redgrave City. Not just anyone was capable of doing something like that.

He just hoped they would all survive long enough to regret what they had done.

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, the last two three chapters have been a blast to write! This is the kind of melodramatic shit I live for! Thank you so much for reading this chapter and have an awesome day! I’m thrilled that you’ve all stuck around this long. Thanks for all the love!


	25. Chapter Twenty Five: Labyrinth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: The response I got for the last chapter was amazing! Thank you all so much for the awesome feedback! And now, back to our regularly scheduled angsty program! On today's episode of "look how they massacred my boy"...

Chapter Twenty Five: Labrinth

(-~-)

As the cave snaked further and further into the bowels of the earth, what little natural light that remained disappeared from view. Gone were any traces of the sky that had been vaguely visible above them and now all that was left were the dregs of extinguished lanterns that hung from the ceiling above. Any illusion that the place they currently occupied wasn’t tied to some part of the underworld shattered like glass, taking any semblance of comfort with it.

In a way, the caves seemed to almost be alive. While an average person wouldn’t probably be able to detect anything in such an extreme environment, that wasn’t the story at all for Sparda’s descendants. As much as he didn’t want to acknowledge it, Nero could almost swear that the place they were in was breathing. It was as if they were inside of some sort of massage artery. Air flowed in and out of the tunnel in opposing directions, coming from behind and then from in front of them in a slow but constant cadence. Perhaps not an artery then, but maybe a throat of some sort? Regardless of what it resembled, it was deeply uncomfortable. One could only hope that they would not come to regret taking the route that they had. There was no time to lose.

“Why is it so fucking  _ dark _ in here?” Nero asked as he followed closely behind Vergil. Dante was somewhere close behind him, but he couldn’t see anything past his hands in the inky blackness.” That overgrown houseplant wasn’t like this on the inside. How are we supposed to do anything if we can’t see?”

The older demon slayer in blue mentally registered his youngest son’s inquiry, but his mind was elsewhere. Yes, Nero did make a valid point. But his mind was on the task at hand at the moment. For every moment that this expedition dragged on and on, Vergil mentally chastised himself for being insane enough to go along with V’s plan. They had basically handed him to the very people who had tried to kill them less than a month ago, and they had no way of knowing how capable they were or what they wanted with him. 

And that was to say nothing of the conversation that the Darkslayer had just had with the young cultist. Who was this “Master” they served, and who was his patron? Vergil needed to get to the route of the problem and extinguish it as quickly as possible before the inferno had a chance to grow and consume them all. But as far as he knew, none of his detractors knew anything about either of his sons, and that was primarily because they were all dead. Vergil had personally seen to that during his time in the underworld. Vergil possessed practically no tolerance for interruptions to his plans, and during his ascension to the throne, having no one alive to contest his plans was undeniably beneficial.

While the devil in blue was more than certain that his existing enemies were deceased and hopefully rotting in the bowels of hell, he couldn’t discount the possibility of having unknown enemies. That was practically a guarantee. As far as he was concerned, you couldn’t spend the amount of time that he’d spent in the underworld without at least half of the sentient population developing a profound and deep seeded hatred of you. That was just one of the perks that came with the trip. But if that was the case, then things had just gone from bleak to pernicious.

“What, you still need to see things to kill em’? Come on, that’s day one stuff!” Dante said casually as he closed the distance between himself and Nero. He didn’t need to see his nephew’s face to tell that he was shooting him a dirty look. If there was one thing that the young devil hunter had inherited from his father, it was his inability to let go of slights issued against him, regardless of the severity. Dante could say something silly to him about something entirely insignificant, and Nero would probably still bring it up when his kids were old enough to move out. While Dante had to admit that that facet of his nephew’s personality could be problematic at times, he honestly found it hilarious most of the time and didn’t mind it. As long as Nero was safe, Dante was fine with it.

Nero shook his head and pressed forward with the rest of the group. He didn’t have time to care about that. For the life of him, he couldn’t shake the persistent feeling of dread that had gripped him since they had interred the caverns. He trusted V’s judgement. After all, he was capable and smart. But not knowing what had happened to him admittedly put him a bit on edge, especially since that cultist had mentioned something about their “master” wanting him.

Yea, he was going to find this “master” and introduce him to the flaming edge of his blade.

“Do you think we went the wrong way back there? I can’t tell if we're getting any closer to the end of this cave.” Nero asked as they hurried along, thankful that the part of the cave they were in didn’t have branching paths. “I wonder how they get around in here when it’s this dark all the time.”

Vergil considered answering the question since he was somewhat certain that he had an idea how they did so, but the second that he took another step forward, he came to a sudden stop. Dante and Nero followed shortly after, utterly perplexed as to how they had arrived in the stop that they had. The inky blackness parted and gave way to a level of light more conducive to the environment they currently found themselves in. 

Before them spanned a gargantuan chasm, it’s pitch black interior only parted by the rays of moonlight that pierced the roof of the cave in cascading rays. Where the light came from was anyone’s guess since the sound of thunder booming answered any questions that they could have possessed as to whether or not the storm was still raging outside. As the white starlight parted the darkness before them, they identified a staircase composed of several long stone slabs. It descended towards the open chasm below them, no form of railing between them and what had to be at least a five story drop. In the distance, they could make out a faint source of artificial light, seemingly produced by a litany of candles or lanterns. It seemed that nothing in this place was exactly rigged up to a power source, at least from what they could tell.

At least not a conventional one. In the very center of a large pond that sat towards the center of the cavity surrounded by tall but sparse foliage stood a monolith of sorts, easily over twenty feet in height. It was a rough structure composed of a strange luminescent blue and black stone that seemed to resemble skulls from where they currently stood. A thick black substance overflowed from the top of the structure, possessing the properties of both smoke and water simultaneously. The water surrounding it was pitch black and seemed to resemble ink or tar, the only indication of any motion from it being the occasional large bubble rising up from the depths and bursting at the surface, releasing more of the back substance. While Dante and Nero had no reason to recognize the substance, Vergil couldn’t help but feel his blood run cold as he took in the reality of what the presence of such a chemical meant.

They needed to find V and end this cult. Now.

Nero rubbed his strained eyes before taking a long, baffled look at their surroundings. The cave was vast. There could be any number of cultists in the place. One could only hope that they had just established their new stomping grounds recently and that they didn’t actually possess numbers great enough to merit a base like this.

The young devil hunter considered saying something for a moment before deciding otherwise. Nero was willing to bet that a place like this produced one hell of an echo, and he had no intention of being the one to sound the alarm. He stole a glance at the makeshift staircase and took a step towards it, ushering towards his two companions. Dante nodded in recognition and followed along behind him, the pair noticing immediately that Vergil seemed to still be taking in his surroundings. They both looked at one another before staring at the Darkslayer’s back, unsure of what to say or do. After a moment, Vergil turned to them, trying to hide the fact that things had just taken a dive headfirst into unmistakable peril.

“... As soon as we find him, you both need to take him and leave.” Vergil said in a hushed tone as he hurried past them, still maintaining the same level of calm that he had the moment before,” There is something I must do. Something that must be stopped now or our efforts will be in vain.”

Dante seemed slightly alarmed but kept his voice down, following closely after his older twin as they descended the stairs two or three at a time. Nero hurried after them, the trio making sure to keep things as quiet as possible. “I get the feeling something isn’t right about this place. Want to fill us in on the details?”

Vergil shot his twin brother a quick glance as he continued along. Explaining what this place was to his younger sibling would take entirely too long and probably attract unwanted attention. Not to mention that it would waste valuable time that they no longer possessed. The cult had access to something far beyond anything that he could have guessed, and he had an idea how that had come to pass. In that moment Vergil could only hope that he had simply lost his touch and was out of his mind.

Unfortunately, he was right.

(-~-)

For a moment, the concept of dark and light faded from his memory, his head nothing but a hazy mess of fragmented memories. As he attempted to blink away the heavy dose of lethargy that gripped him like an iron vice, the young summoner attempted to take in his surroundings for a second time. Or was it the third time? How long had he been in this place, drifting between a state of disorientation and dissonance? There were flashes of recognition, brief glimpses he’d managed to grasp onto as he’d been dragged there by the procession of cultists that had abducted him. These ones wore red robes and masks that lacked expressions, their voices difficult to discern as they swirled around him in a flurry of movement. They were planning something. From what he could tell, they were talking about him, at least in regards to something he was involved in. And from what he could tell, they understood more about who he was than they should.

_ “Master Agreus seems displeased…” _

_ “Did it work? It doesn’t seem to be working as we intended.” _

_ “What will we do now that it has started? What is our next task?” _

_ “Quiet, all of you! He has returned. I trust he will seek an audience with…” _

_ “Surely not. The last time it came to that we-” _

_ “ENOUGH. Be silent. I will not tolerate interference.” _

As the cacophony of voices that surrounded him began to separate into individual sources, V’s senses slowly flooded back to him. And the very moment that he regained some semblance of sensation in his body, he immediately regretted it down to the very core of his being. It was difficult to quantify the level of discomfort he felt in practically every segment of his body, every nerve ending burning like a fire that threatened to consume him from the inside out. It was a sort of dull throb akin to that of a toothache, but it covered his entire body all at once, and came in waves that seemed to grow in intensity each time they passed through him.

From what he could tell, they thought he was dead. Or at least close to it. And that would be their greatest mistake. Because the very moment that he succeeded in breaking free from the restraints that they had him in, he was going to make them pay for whatever dubious insanity they had subjected him to.

It took V a moment to equate his still bleeding head wound to his inability to see out of his left eye. While the wound he’d received from the scythe wielding grim reaper like demon hadn’t been worryingly deep, it had continued to bleed and his inability to put any kind of pressure on it to keep it from doing so meant that he was at quite an impasse. 

Every time he tried to break free from the binds that kept him locked to the ground underneath him, the sensation of discomfort and throbbing heat returned in earnest. From what he could gather, the metal loop that held both of his wrists together behind his back served two functions. To keep him firmly against the floor with the assistance of the crane system that retracted the chain and tightened it’s hold against him, and to cause him intense discomfort if he made any effort to resist. Where they had procured such an arcane artifact from was beyond him, but he was sure to the very core of his being that he wanted them off of him as quickly as possible. Because the reason for his bondage was less than optimistic. To say that he hadn’t been treated as gently as he would have liked would’ve been a vast understatement.

The last time that he’d blacked out for a moment as a result of trying to break free from his confinement, he’d felt a surge of energy shoot through him that he was entirely unfamiliar with. A foreign power that he couldn’t place, but he somehow knew that it originated from within him. While it made sense that he might possess abilities beyond those that he currently understood, the amount of power only seemed to grow as he inched closer to blacking out fully as a result of his injuries at the hands of the cultists. V had lost a considerable amount of blood from the puncture wound on the back of his leg, and the ceaseless bleeding that he had since fallen victim to had rendered him practically delirious. He was practically helpless against his aggressors. They had inflicted the wound to help facilitate whatever dubious activities they were involved with, and there was no way that he was going to be able to just stand up and walk this one off. He’d lose far too much blood. Pain was an old acquaintance, especially when it came to his right leg. And from what he could tell, causing him to bleed onto the stone platform that he was currently chained to was their goal. It seemed to be some sort of altar from what he could tell.

That unsettled him.

V was positive that he could muster the strength to summon Shadow and unleash her upon his enemies, but he was hesitant to do so unless no other choice was available to him. Malphas had taught him that it was indeed possible to separate him from his familiars. He didn’t intend to let that happen ever again, and this most certainly wasn’t going to be the place or time. But his reserve of alternative options was running dry, along with his blood supply, so he was going to have to come up with something quickly.

A moment later, a familiar tall cultist in a white robe approached him. The black mask that they wore gave away nothing, but he could just  _ feel _ the disdain that radiated off of the man. It seemed that whatever he’d planned for wasn’t coming to pass, and that was something that clearly pissed him off. The man’s own underlings seemed to allude to that with their ceaseless bickering, going back and forth over what to do next until he’d returned. Then the space fell silent at his command, be that a privilege procured from respect or fear he didn’t know. What he did know was that the last time the hooded man had approached him, he’d found a ceremonial blade of some sort embedded in his leg. And it had been extremely painful, to say the least. Unreasonably painful considering the size of the blade. It was as if it had been engineered to inflict that sort of extra damage. In fact, he could swear that for a moment it had started to glow as if reacting to his blood.

He intended to return the favor whenever he got the chance.

“My original plan involved  _ less _ physical harm. Forgive me for that.” The man said as he kneeled down in front of him. They made something akin to eye contact, but the young summoner still couldn’t see his captor’s face. But he didn’t need to be able to. V could tell that they were making eye contact.“I trust your accommodations are to your liking?”

V had to fight the involuntary urge to smirk and glare at him. The younger man genuinely wasn’t sure if he was being kicked while he was down, or if the cultist was simply deranged enough to ask that question and seriously expect a favorable reply. Regardless, V broke eye contact with him and looked up at the roof of the cave, ignoring the temptation to say something snarky that ran the risk of earning him a second stabbing. That wretched curved blade seriously hurt. Possibly more than anything he’d ever been cut by. And that was a considerable number of things.

Realizing that he wasn’t getting an answer, the cultist gestured towards the round stone slab that V was bound to. The makings that adorned the edges were written in a vaguely familiar language to the white haired summoner, but he had no idea where he’d seen them before. That being said, he wasn’t nearly naive enough to miss the gravity of what was going on and why they had brought him to this place.

This was most definitely some sort of ritual.

But why did they need him?

“It seems that the tablet requires an additional offering.” The man said as he casually gestured between the stone writing and the book that he carried in his hand. It was ancient looking, bound in some sort of animal hide and blackened from age (or perhaps evil). From what V could tell, that was his source of information regarding whatever ritual he was trying to force him to undergo. “I do hope you're as excited to meet my master as I am to introduce you to him. He’s been eager to see you in person for some time now. I’d advise you against disappointing him. But before that, I’m going to need to ask you to make another contribution to our efforts.” 

With that, the cultist kneeled down next to him and withdrew the blade again. Oh, so it was that sort of contribution. He figured as much. This wasn’t good.

V shook his head slightly, his damp hair sticking to his face. Any semblance of tolerance that he had once possessed vacated him instantaneously. No. That wasn’t going to be necessary. As far as he was concerned, the rest of his family had been given ample time to arrive and deal with any distraction. It was time to fix this himself, even if he had to do it the hard way. He had to admit that he hadn’t factored this part into his plan, although he hadn’t expected to get out of it totally unscathed. That was an eventuality he was always prepared for, at least mentally. But a second round with that blade. Absolutely not if he had anything to say about it. And he did.

“No. I think not. You’ve been very accommodating...” V said flatly, feeling another surge of the unknown energy well up from deep within himself. “... But I think I have a better idea.”

The cultist chuckled under his breath slightly, clearly amused.” Yes, well I suppose that makes two of us. Enough idle chit chat, hm? Let’s finish this.”

With a casual gesture of his hand, the masked man opened the book he’d been holding and muttered something in another language. As far as V could tell, it sounded vaguely Latan, but he could only make out a few of the words. That could’ve been a direct result of his condition, but he couldn’t be sure. A wave of nausea hit him as the man read his incantation, and he had a feeling that it wasn’t just nerves. The situation just got worse and worse ever passing moment.

As soon as he finished speaking, he placed the book down on the ground next to him and palmed the blade again, glancing slowly between it and V. The young summoner watched him as he did so and made a conscious effort to contain the borderline anxiety inducing level of fear that he felt rising up from the pit of his stomach. He had an idea what came next. And he didn’t want any part of it.

The cultist gripped the collar of V’s shirt tightly, keeping him close. V didn’t see what the point was other than sadistic pleasure. It wasn’t like he could run anyway. He’d probably would have done so already if he could. In his free hand, the cultist raised the blade again, only this a bit higher up than the last time. If it was possible for what little blood V had left in his body to turn ice cold, it did as he realized what the cultist intended to do.

“I’m going to need you to hold still. This part is a little complicated.” He said casually. And then he lowered the knife.

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit. V is not having a good day, is he? If you thought the last two chapters were anxiety inducing, then you haven’t seen anything yet. These cultists are about to learn the hard way that you don’t mess with and of the members of the Sparda family. The question is, how is V going to get out of this one? I feel like it might not be part of that plan he cooked up lol! See you all next week on Wednesday! I hope you're enjoying everything so far! Take care and stay safe!


	26. Chapter Twenty Six: Formidable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Hahaha.. Haha.. *Cries*. It’s bad. It’s really bad. And my job is reopening soon! That doesn’t cause me massive amounts of anxiety at all! Like, working in a tiny store that tons of kids touch everything in when schools are open and never cleaned correctly in the first place totally won’t end badly for me. We didn’t even get a pandemic raise…
> 
> I’m scared guys. Help.

Chapter Twenty Six: Formidable

(-~-)

The train station had been a bust. 

From the very second that they had stepped into the building, things had descended into chaos. It seemed that one of the few consistent traits that the cult possessed was their total lack of interest in concealing their presence in a public space, because the second that they had made eye contact in the terminal, they hooded summoners had descended upon them. Bystanders ran every which way, screaming and dropping their bags in a desperate attempt to find cover and safety as demons plunged through the glass roof of the station and landed on the tracks and walkways.

The only saving grace was the fact that the train was still in the station.

“Ok so is it a fair guess to assume that these guys are tougher than the ones Dante told us about?” Lady said as she emptied another round of hot lead from her machine guns into a nearby Riot, jumping backwards to avoid it’s vicious swipes and gnashing teeth.“ Because these aren’t some garden variety demons, and they don’t seem to be struggling to keep them under control!”

Trish sighed and nodded, finishing off another demon near her. The Pyrobat fell to the ground and exploded, taking a nearby vending machine with it. Melted cans rained down from the sky and pelted terrified onlookers as they wisely stopped watching and ran for their lives. A Chaos blasted through the wall, cutting a swath through the ground as it tore through benches and a structural pillar in an attempt to hit the blond devil. She cartwheeled out of the way, stealthily hitting it with a powerful blast of lighting via her twin pistols.

“You're probably not wrong. They don’t seem as inexperienced. There are only two of them, and they are holding their own pretty well.” Trish dodged another riot as Lady fired off a volley of rounds from Kalina Ann, shattering the spikes on the back spiraling demon and sending it skidding to a stop on the ground. A second riot made the mistake of trying to take advantage of the situation, earning it an electrically charged blast shot from Trish, ending it once and for all. Lady then used the bayonet on the end of her trusty missile launcher to impale the Chaos, sending it to the floor in a messy pile of melting demon meat. As soon as it slumped over, they both took a moment to breathe, keeping an eye on the summoners and they attempted to flank them. It was going to take them a moment to recover from the loss of their summons, but the girls couldn’t help but notice something about them.

Unlike the summoners that Dante and Vergil had helped to dispatch, these ones had two summons each. From what they understood, only the summoner that V had battled at Fortuna Castle had possessed two. These had to be higher ranking members of the cult, and the fact that they were coordinated enough to have a hierarchy based on skill made them slightly apprehensive as to their ability to actually be dispatched easily. For all they knew, this might not actually be all of them, but they could only hope that wasn’t the case. Because if the people they were currently going up against were the actual ground soldiers and the others before had just been trainees, things had just become a fair bit more hazardous.

“Nico, when we get back, I need a new gun.” Trish said as she kicked the dissolving corpse of the first riot, putting another round it to make sure that it wasn’t just playing dead. It then wailed and flopped back down, dissolving. Nico nodded, watching their backs as they considered their next plan of action.

“You're gonna have to fill me in on the details later, Trish. We need to get outa here!” Nico said as she gestured towards the train. She had a feeling that it wasn’t going to stay in the station much longer. The only reason that it was probably still there was that the conductor probably didn’t feel very confident pulling out a possible terrorist attack going on. Or whatever they thought this was. The cult was widely known about where they’d come from, but none of them knew how in the know the town they were in was.

Lady nodded in agreement, sharing a glance between the group, the blond devil, and the train.” She’s not wrong. So, what’s the plan? I don’t have one besides killing these stupid cultists. But we should probably get the rest of them out of here first.”

Trish spared a glance at the rest of the group. The children were scared out of their minds, probably totally confused as to what was going on and why. Kyrie wasn’t much better off, but at least she was calmer than they were and she wasn’t screaming or anything. Nico and Patty honestly just seemed mildly inconvenienced and annoyed. They’d both been around the block too many times to have a mental breakdown over this, though to say that they were not concerned about this turn of events would be a massive lie. They were just more accustomed to it, although it had been a while since Patty had been directly involved in any of this. Dante had made sure of that himself when he’d asked her to go with her mother after Abigail’s attack all those years ago. But she’d seen her fair share of trouble since then during friendly visits to scold Dante for his sloppiness and just to check and make sure he was still around. After all, he was no good at answering the phone,

With a self confirming nod, Trish gestured towards the train. She’d had enough of this cult for one lifetime, but they couldn’t just board it and leave with them around. That fact aside, keeping the rest of them there was a recipe for disaster. The train station could collapse at any moment from the damage that had been done to it by the attack. Aside from the glass that continued to fall in large sections from the roof, the entire building was making an unpleasant metal creaking sound. The demons weren’t getting past them, but they couldn’t stop the building from collapsing and cruising them.

“You go with them. Keep an eye out for trouble on the train. I’ll take care of these troublemakers. I think Dante’s going to need some help after all.”

Lady looked at Trish for a moment as if she’d lost her mind, the idea of leaving her behind unfathomable to her. She didn’t doubt that she could handle them by herself. She’d been through far worse by herself on many occasions. But the idea of leaving without her just felt so wrong. Lady knew that the plan made sense and that she didn’t really have time to argue with her, but that didn’t change the fact that she wanted to with every fiber of her being. “... Look, if you don’t come back in one piece, I’m gonna kill you. You know that right?”

Trish laughed to herself slightly, charging another blast of energy and feeding it into her guns in preparation for her next move. She had a feeling they weren’t going to like this one.“ I’m sure you will. No go! I’ll cover you. Keep them safe, you hear me?”

Lady nodded begrudgingly as she hoisted her heavy missile launcher onto her back, shaking her head in disbelief as she gestured towards the train. Kyrie and Patty grabbed the two smaller children and their bags and bolted towards the boarding platform. They could take a hint. Nico stopped for a moment to nod in appreciation before joining them, Lady following closely behind her. “Do you even need to ask?”

Trish gave her a final sarcastic waive as she turned her back to them and aimed her guns at the two pillars that the cultists were hiding behind before squeezing the triggers and letting loose powerful blasts of golden electricity. They pierced the pillars and sent them crumbling to pieces from the bottom up, the roof above them buckling with a loud metal scream as glass, stone, and pieces of jagged steel rained down from above and crushed them. They had time to let out one final startled cry before being buried below the rubble, a steel beam impaling one and hitting the other in the head with an amount of impact force that would be enough to crush a car.

With a sigh, she put her guns back in their rightful place and glanced over at the train. They’d made it onboard and it was pulling out without a second to spare. The entire building was probably going to come down. Good thing they’d left when they had. All that shooting was probably going to draw some unwanted attention. Just great.

Forget the new gun. She needed a new sword.

(-~-)

“Ok, so do you know what that shit in the middle of the water over there is? Is that even water?” Asked quietly as they reached the bottom of the staircase.” I know you said this area was a conduit. Is  _ that _ it over there?”

Vergil nodded once, his mid still on the task at hand. They were growing closer to the light, and would need to be very quiet soon if they hoped to keep the element of surprise. “Conduits form around tears between the human world and other plains of reality. This one is clearly a thin spot between our reality and the Demon World. The water around them normally only turns that color when…”

“When what, Vergil?” Dante asked, seemingly clueing into the darker undertones of that statement. The youngest Son of Sparda got the impression that none of them were going to like that idea, and that it just might have to do with V.

The devil slayer in blue suddenly stopped for a moment, seemingly noticing something. He glanced around for a moment as if searching for something. Just then, the entire cavern suddenly began to shake, rattling the very foundations of the open structure as water poured in from the stone above them. To say that whatever had just caused that was capable of caving in the entire cavern was a pretty fair assessment.

A moment later, the conduit began to glow brightly, pulsating as it shuttered, the waves of energy that cascaded off of it and into the thick black water below vibrating the ground as they went. It suddenly gained momentum before seemingly building up energy and then it let out an ear splitting screech. A sonic boom erupted from it, bending back the trees and cutting through the stalagmites that littered the ground between them, dislodging several of large stalactites that hung precariously from the ceiling and sending them crashing to the ground below. Cries of what had to be terror at the realization that they had more than likely just sealed their own fate erupted from ahead of them as a group of about fifteen hapless cultists took off running towards the exit. They stopped dead in their tracks as they ran afoul of Dante, Vergil, and Nero, the trio looking less than accommodating. Although it was impossible to see their faces, the three of them were somewhat sure that the cultists were scared shitless, their body language doing all the talking for them.

“Please, you have to let us pass. This place is collapse-”

“I care very little for the dangers any of you currently face. You brought them on yourselves.” Vergil said as he reached around and slowly began to withdraw Yamato from it’s sheath. He hadn’t been playing games before, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to start doing so now. “You're going to tell me where he is  _ now _ , and  _ then _ I’m going to kill all of you. But I’ll consider doing it quickly if you don’t waste my time.”

Dante spared his brother a glance, somewhat astounded by his ruthless efficiency.

But he didn’t exactly disagree with it.

When he’d agreed to be more honest about what he was thinking, Dante hand thought that this was what he’d meant. Still, he couldn’t say he objected to it. Unlike the people they’d battled outside of the cave, everyone here seemed complicit in their action and fully aware of what was going on. And for that reason alone, Dante felt much less conflicted about what he knew his older twin brother was going to do next. He didn’t doubt a single word of what he’d said. He’d been in much the same mood the day that Patty had been kidnapped as a child and the day he’d stood between his brother to stop him from killing Nero in Redgrave City. The youngest Son of Sparda couldn’t imagine what Vergil was thinking, especially considering the fact that he had a relatively good idea that whatever was going on at the moment had something to do with V. He knew that Vergil was going to do whatever he considered necessary to rescue him.

But what if they had already…

The cultists seemed to hesitate for a moment, clearly displeased with the options they’d been presented. Their intention had been to escape, not die in the bottomless abyss that they currently found themselves in. They glanced between one another, disregarding the fact that they were wearing masks as if to assess if the clearly unhinged man in the blue coat with a goddamned  _ Katana _ was somehow shooting the shit. But despite this, one of them stepped forward, sighing in resignation. It seemed that there was no running from what they’d done after all. Maybe he hoped Vergil would spare him, or perhaps he wasn’t willing to die for the cause? 

“... I guess that’s fair. He’s you son, isn’t he? I see the family resemblance between the four of you. He’s over there with Master Agreus, but I don’t think you’ll make it in time. The Darkness itself approaches. Your opposition is futile.”

Nero groaned in irritation, just about ready to shoot them all himself.” What the  _ fuck _ is all this bullshit you people keep spewing about that shit, and what does it have to do with V?! You bastards keep showing up like we asked to a part of whatever the fuck your doing, and I’m pretty sick of it!”

Dante glanced over at Nero before gesturing towards the cultists. Nero made a good point. What did this dark lord or whatever want with V? What kind of crazy crap was going on? Clearly this involved a demon, but he couldn’t think of anyone that could want V specifically. Last time he’d checked, most of the underworld had no idea that he or Nero existed, and he liked it that way. It was what allowed them to have some semblance of normality in their lives. But after all of this was over, he had the feeling that V was going to have to reevaluate that aspect of his day to day life. 

“Well, you heard him. Start talking, or you're going to find an extra blade in you.” Dante said passively as he manifested his own blade, the accompanying summoned blades twirling around him, eager to find a place inside of his opponents to embed themselves.” Well, besides the one that  _ he’s _ gonna put there. I have nothing to do with that. Gave up talking him down from this kind of thing sometime last week when he threatened to kill me over the lack of dishes in my house!”

Vergil’s glare could’ve melted diamonds.

Somehow he was even more pissed off now than he had been just a moment before. How dare Dante remind him of that atrocity of a dish situation. And at a time like this? When this was over, he was absolutely going to stab him for that.

The cultist they’d been speaking to went silent for a moment, more than likely questioning what choices in life he’d made to get him into such a situation. Everything about this situation was as insane as it was frightening to him, and he didn’t see a way out of it anywhere in sight. “Our Master Agreus serves a higher being. A mighty demon far beyond the likes of the ones we summon. We are simply tools at this disposal, happy to do his bidding. Though I must admit that this situation is a bit…  _ extreme. _ ”

Dante exchanged a glance with Nero, Vergil till only seconds from ending them all in a flurry of enraged blade slashes. To say that his older twin looked like he might trigger and stab them all to death in that very instant from his bloodlust alone wasn’t an understatement of any kind. Nero wasn’t too far off, and neither was Dante for that matter. He couldn't pretend that he and V were very close. They barely talked to one another, and he’d never really had the opportunity to get to know him as well as he would have liked, but he was absolutely ready and willing to stab a cave full of deranged cultists to death if they’d so much as messed up his hair. At the end of the day, they were still family. And as much as he hated to admit it, V had grown on him. Sure he was a little odd at times, ever by their family’s very low standards, but Dante had a soft spot for his nephews, and had no plans to let some  _ cult _ kill one of them.

“Yea, sure. And does this demon of your have a name?” Dante said dryly, not at all amused by any of this reverse “holier than thou” bullcrap. Yea, he was absolutely going to stab another cultist today. Screw these guys. He’d met his fair share of good demons and awful humans in his lifetime, but they all paled in comparison to this cult as far as personal damage went. At this point, he was honestly worried about what had happened to V.

The cultist looked up at the rapidly caving in roof and shook his head, seemingly sure that nothing about this situation was going to end well. “He is  Belial, one of the Dark Princes of the Underworld. We serve his will through our lord Agreus. And he will have his Absolution.”

Vergil’s posture visibly drooped as a look of genuine surprise crossed his face. In that instant, the Darkslayer was relatively sure his skin had just lost all color as his blood ceased to circulate. With a flurry of movement too rapid for any of the cultists to follow, the entire area around them suddenly seemed to slow as blue slices surrounded them and seemed to cover everything around them within a certain perimeter. Vergil then returned to the precise spot he’d previously been standing in and placed Yamato back into its scabbard with a deliberate click, felling the entire group in a single movement.

Nero and Dante stared at him in silence, feeling somewhat taken aback by the abrupt and extreme way he’d gone about doing that. Something was very  **_VERY_ ** wrong here, and they could easily see that. Everything about the way Vergil was in that moment spoke volumes and they were honestly worried about what that could mean.

“... _Vergil?_ ” Dante asked hesitantly. A part of him genuinely didn’t want to know.

Nero watched quietly as Vergil closed his eyes for a moment, clearly trying to find a way to articulate what he wanted to say. After a moment, he reopened them and made a bewildered expression akin to that of a person who was asking themselves and the universe simultaneously what they had ever done to deserve such a fate.

“...  _ Oh. _ I see. Well then that... changes  _ everything. _ ”

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And just like that, they’re all fucked. I mean, they were before, but still. Tune in on Friday of the next edition of “holy fuck, what did Vergil do while he was down there” that I like to call “how did things go so wrong?! We were just having a nice time at the beach yesterday!” the abridged edition. Stay safe out there! See you in hell the comments!


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven: Retribution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Ah yes. I’ve been waiting for two damn weeks for you all to get to read this one. This is going to be a wild time. Buck up and get ready for turbulence!

Chapter Twenty Seven: Retribution

(-~-)

The air in the open cavern was practically statically charged as the three descendants of the Legendary Dark Knight Sparda navigated their way through the dense underbrush, their coats catching on every conceivable obstacle and slowing them down slightly. The eldest of the twins was clearly in a hurry for some sudden and unidentified reason, and seemed to be just shy of an actual panic fueled sprint, a fact that didn’t go unnoticed by his youngest son and his younger identical twin. Considering Vergil’s generally calm and collected demeanor that bordered on cold dismissal at times, this sudden uptake in barely concealed panic was actually extremely unnerving to his compatriots, especially Nero.

Although he had not spent his entire life around his father, Nero was keen enough to realize that Vergil shouldn’t be walking at what could be charitably described as a light sprint through an area that they had no familiarity with and that was inhabited by a sinister death cult that apparently served a particularly worrisome demon. He had warned both Nero and V against doing that very thing just before V had explained enough of his plan to them to get them to go along with it. If only they could go back to that more innocent time before all of this had happened. But perhaps it was better this way. At least they knew what they were up against now. That had been V’s intention in the first place.

Nero could practically still see the look on Vergil’s face when V had confidently advised the two of them that he planned to be captured so that he might learn more about the inner-workings of the cult that stalked him so relentlessly. Vergil had immediately objected, something that V seemed to anticipate. But he’d reminded his father that both he and Nero had made it into adulthood by going off of their gut instinct and doing what they thought was right. He’d rightly concluded that learning about their opponents could be invaluable, especially when it came to light that they might be more numerous than they had originally anticipated just a short while ago. And when V had reminded his father that they had agreed to work  _ together  _ in regards to solving this issue, Vergil had hesitantly caved, clearly regretting the statement. 

Trusting both of his sons was something that he generally didn’t have too much of an issue with. They both came off to him as honest and deserving of his confidence in their capabilities. But when it came to plans that could get them severely injured or even  _ killed _ Vergil was much less flexible. Nero could only guess that the eldest Son of Sparda had agreed to do so in the hopes that it might instill something in V. Perhaps to show that he had confidence in his ability to think things through in light of the stern talking to that he’d just give them both about wandering off into unknown situations and areas without a plan? That was all that Nero could glean from it. But regardless, he himself had been willing to do what V thought was right. He’d seen his intellect in action before in Redgrave City, and anyone who could stealth his way thought that forsaken hellscape by themselves with summons that he now knew he’d only just acquired was capable of making an infallible plan.

But how could any of them have planned for the eventuality that a super powerful demon might be bankrolling a den of somewhat capable summoners?

Nero certainly wouldn’t have. He’d never even heard of that type of demon before. A demon  _ prince? _ Why was there more than one of them? Were they all related to one another, or was it a ranking that they had earned through power and intimidation or something of the like? Nero had no way of knowing outside of asking one of his companions, so he intended to do just that. But he got the distinct feeling that Vergil was in no mood to discuss the finer points of underworld leadership with him at a time like this.

“So this demon… Is he a friend of yours or something? You seem like you’ve met him before.” Nero said as he approached Vergil from behind. The devil slayer had halted his ceaseless march through the thick underbrush in favor of simply cutting through the section they were facing. Why go the long way around when you could go through, especially when so much was at risk and they were seemingly so far from their destination?

Vergil swung the blade once, at least from what Nero could tell. A moment later, the tall pine tree in front of them toppled over noisy and crushed a nearby boulder, cracking it down the middle. One could only assume that the element of surprise was no longer his father’s main concern. That fact alone was enough to put Nero on edge, but the fact that Dante seemed to be waiting for a reply didn’t help. The youngest of the three normally looked to the two oldest members of his family for assistance with matters he didn’t know about. This was one of those matters. The realization that Dante didn’t seem to know either startled him. Having to possibly go up against a demon that only one of them knew anything about wasn’t the kind of bet he liked to take these days, especially after how spectacularly bad things had gone just two months prior.

“... We’ve had occasion to  _ interact _ with one another. He’s a rare breed, both cunning and capable, with the patience to sit and wait for an opportunity for as long as he deems necessary. But when he decides to strike…” Vergil stopped talking for a moment, seemingly considering something. His lack of comfort with the situation at hand only grew stronger the longer he had to acknowledge the fact that things had come to this.” When I returned from the Underworld, I was in a considerably weakened state. Belial helped put me there. Doing battle against him at that point would’ve been foolish. The wounds he dealt me part of the reason I was so eager to reclaim Yamato upon returning to the human world.”

Dante let out a long, deep sigh, taking in the gravity of his older brother’s sentiment. It was not every day that he had to go up against the kind of demon that could give Vergil a run for his money, even if he  _ was _ in a vulnerable state. Even at his lowest, the oldest Son of Sparda was far above the pay grade of the vast majority of Hell’s denizens. And the fact that he’d managed to actually wound Vergil to the point where he had to basically make a tactical retreat to the human world to escape him didn’t bode well.

“What do you think he wants with V? Did you throw some of those fancy insults his way and manage to rile him up or something? Because if he holds grudges anything like Mundus did...” Dante started and then trailed off, not even slightly interested in revisiting that chapter of his life. He had enough things to worry about at present without adding his past transgressions to them.

Nero gave them both a sideways look, internally questioning himself as to what the hell they were both talking about. “Who’s Mundus?”

The younger member of the group could practically feel Vergil die inside at the mention of that name. For a moment, he seemed to visibly recoil in discomfort at the prospect of talking about it. That alone was enough of an answer for Nero, at least for the time being. After all, they were going against this Belial and his right hand man Agreus, right? This wasn’t the time to have things get bogged down in the details. All he needed to know for the time being was who to put a bullet in, and how many it would take to put them down for good so that they could leave this place and it’s problems behind them. V didn’t need to spend the rest of his life looking over his shoulder in anticipation of another attack, and they didn’t need to be constantly worried about him.

“You know what? Nevermind. I have a better question.” Nero said as Dante turned towards him, seemingly about to answer in his older twin’s stead. The demon hunter in red nodded as if to ask him to continue.” How would this demon even know about V? I mean, you said you fought him before, but you didn’t even know about us back then. How could he know V existed without you knowing first?”

Vergil stayed quiet for another moment, felling another thick section of the almost maze-like section of woods that they found themselves in at the end of his razor sharp blade. He looked just about ready to simply fly over the area and search for V that way, but he hadn’t made the decision to do so just yet. 

“I knew about him. I didn’t know about _you_. And I have no theories as to how he found out.” Vergil said in an almost resigned tone. With the revelation that Belial was their opponent, ever passing second felt like an eternity. He needed to know that V was safe, and that was not something that he could achieve from this distance. ”As for a reason for him to do this... I don’t have one. Belial is above things as petty as grudges. He cares little for minor infractions. He only surfaces when he wants something from-”

As if he’d been hit head on in the face by something, Vergil stopped dead in his tracks. In that instant, he figured out what it was that the cult might be after. And the very idea of it was enough to send him into a frantic roulette of negative possibilities, reducing his mind to little more than a revolving door of nightmare scenarios. As if to compliment the hopeless atmosphere, the conduit suddenly let off another shockwave of energy, this one considerable stronger than the last. The trees bend backwards far enough to touch the ground and the cavern shook violently as parts of the cave shook violently in response to the blast, sending the three devil hunters backwards onto the ground with a thud. An audible screech somewhat akin to the sounds that Gilgamesh had made during Nero’s battle with it in Redgrave City rattled the air around them, irritating their ears somewhat.

Just a second later, a second, decidedly different shockwave erupted across the landscape, not so much shaking things as much as it seemed to bathe them in a dark energy. It was thick and fleeting, only lasting a moment before dissipating. The major difference was the effect it had on the descendants of the Dark Knight Sparda. For a brief moment, the three of them triggered before reverting back to their more human forms and leaving the trio as startled as they were disoriented.

Before any of them could climb all the way to their feet, the sound of metal bending against its will followed by a loud, blood curdling scream echoed through the space between them and the conduit, earning a startled look from Nero as he took a moment to consider what might have just happened. Vergil seemed literally frozen in place, be it from disbelief or terror he couldn’t say. His father’s face was literally unreadable. But Dante’s reaction was a bit easier to gauge. The devil hunter in red practically burst into laughter, shaking his head in what had to be disbelief as he clambered to his feet and adjusted his posture before summoning his blade and walking in the direction of the commotion. Vergil slowly adjusted his posture and joined him, although still with a certain degree of hesitation that Nero found unsettling and hard to quantify.

“...  _ What the  _ **_fuck_ ** _ was that? _ ” Nero asked as he followed along after them, the group now speeding up their pace in silent acknowledgement of the situation and it's possible consequences. The youngest of the three could swear he’d felt something like that before, but couldn't pinpoint the precise moment when he’d experienced it. But regardless, he couldn’t help but notice it. There was a certain uncanny familiarity to it that he’d be remiss to overlook. And he had a feeling he was about to find out what it was.

(-~-)

For a moment, V’s entire brain seemed to lack the ability to process the gravity of the injury that had been dealt to him. He blinked slowly, not so much feeling his heartbeat as he was hearing it. The same went for his breath as he drew in slow, deliberate drags of air in a desperate attempt to not teeter over the edge into unconsciousness. His sight was crystal clear for the first time since he’d been brought down there, and that was mostly due to the fact that he was in such an astounding amount of pain that he was probably staring straight up in the air with an exasperated look on his face that would honestly be quite funny if it wasn’t due to the fact that he had a knife stuck between his trapezius and his clavicle.

And he absolutely did despite every wish that he had otherwise.

In all honesty, he’d expected of the deranged madman to stab him in the chest or cut his throat, but the idea of being stabbed downward in the space between his shoulder blade and his throat had never crossed his mind. And he was now positive that it was his least favorite place to be stabbed, because to say it was excruciating would’ve been an undeniable understatement. His entire chest and throat area on his left side felt like it was on fire, and he was pouring blood from the severed artery that had been severely punctured by the blade. V wouldn’t have been shocked to find out that the blade had narrowly missed his heart or the top of one of his lungs due to the angle and the length of the blade involved, especially since it was still stuck in his shoulder. Should he consider himself lucky or cursed?

Content with his handiwork, Agreus had simply dropped him onto the ground after he’d stabbed him, the aura of pleasure that radiated off of him at the sight of V so near death unmistakable even through a featureless mask. And as he laid there, not entirely sure how he was going to get out of that situation, a low, barreling, and entirely inhuman voice came from within the conduit behind him. And it seemed thoroughly displeased.

_ “You are entirely too eager to please me, servant. I told you I needed him alive!” _

Agreus backpedaled slightly at the statement, clearly rattled. “And he shall be, Master. I simply had to be sure. What are a few wounds to one with the blood of a devil coursing through their veins? Even one as weak as this boy?”

V would’ve vocalized his feelings about such a statement, but he couldn’t find the mental energy to. The only thing he could feel aside from the lethargy that came with the massive blood loss he’d suffered through was the sensation of something powerful welling up from within him. The latent power that he’d felt activate when he’d first been brought near the conduit seemed to trickle down through the rest of his body, and now it was spreading like a wildfire. As Agreus and the disembodied voice spoke to one another, V teetered ever closer to the edge, but what that edge was, he couldn’t say. The murky depths beckoned, and he was tempted to give in to that call if only to quench the all consuming fire that burned within him. And to fulfill his desire for revenge.

_ “Do not assume to know how my kind function, servant. You are not one of us. Now give me what I came here for and leave before you prematurely deprive me of what little usefulness you still possess.” _

The young summoner could practically  _ feel _ Agreus flinch at his master’s order before he bowed and turned to face him again. V was actually somewhat surprised to see that the demon that the cultist served seemed to actually think less of him than he did. In truth, he didn’t know how that could even be possible. “As you wish, Master. It shall be done.”

V wasn’t sure what caused it to happen, but the moment that cultist in white stepped towards him, something inside of him shifted. The thin line that he’d walked for the last little while practically snapped and crumbled beneath him, sending him plummeting into the darkness that he felt welling up from within him. For a brief moment, V closed his eyes. And as he reopened them, he caught a glimpse of Agreus as he stopped dead in his tracks in stunned terror. And then all hell broke loose. 

With a sudden cascade of power that he couldn’t honestly believe had originated from him, a shockwave of black and green energy erupted from within him and shot out across the entire area on a collision path with everything in sight as he was overtaken by the overwhelming force of nature that was his initial transformation. The metal loop that had previously bound him suddenly felt like a cheap toy in comparison to the rush of strength and adrenaline that he’d been hit with. He had no idea what he was capable of doing in that moment, but one thing was for certain: he  _ knew _ he could break free of his restraints and give Agreus a taste of his own medicine.

And he planned to do just that.

It took basically no effort for him to snap free from the restraints. The metal pulley strained against his resolve and crumbled shortly after. It had only been strong enough to hold him when he was in a more vulnerable state, but in that moment, it lost the battle and toppled over against the ground, slamming onto the stone surface of the altar with a powerful thud that sent the cultist toppling over. Since V was already on the ground, it took very little effort for him to grab a hold of his aggressor and pin him down with his right arm. Unfortunately, the muscles in his left arm still burned painfully.

As if instinctively, it occurred to V in that moment that he still owed Agreus a parting gift. He had made the decision to give as good as he'd gotten, and he intended to make good on that promise. In an act born purely of his desire to help educate his captor as to what it felt like to be stabbed in the leg with a ceremonial dagger, V used his right hand to grip the handle of the bladed instrument and pulled it from his neck in one swift, painful moment. Regardless of his extreme discomfort with the action, it had to come out one way or another. He then immediately turned the blade on Agreus and stabbed him in the upper thigh in precisely the same spot that he'd inflicted his wound and withdrew the blade, keeping a grip on it. Although he now possessed a set of razor sharp claws and fangs, he was aware that possessing a knife was an advantageous strategy, even if he was far from proficient with one.

The cultist cried out in pain and jumped to his feet, stumbling back towards the edge of the conduit as it split down the middle, black energy still radiating from it. V somehow managed to drag himself to his feet, but found that he was far from steady as he stumbled forward and fell over to one side, making impact with the ground again. He winced at the unwanted contact and attempted to stand back up, intent on finishing off Agreus before he could make his escape. Just as his long, needle-like nails made contact with the cult leader’s exposed neck, the man in white stumbled back and crashed through the rift in the conduit. The collision triggered some sort of adverse reaction that caused the rift to crumble as it sent forth another powerful shockwave, sending V flying backwards into the shallow black waters of the corrupted pool.

Upon landing in the cursed black water, V gasped and jumped back out of it, his strength and triggered state rapidly regressing as he dragged himself over to the edge of the stone tablet and towards what he assumed to be the exit. As he went, he pocketed the blade and caught sight of the book that the cultist had been carrying. Unwilling to pass up an opportunity to examine it if he made it out of the collapsing cavern alive, he slumped over and picked it up, tucking it away for later. He had entrusted his own book to Vergil back at the entrance before they'd enacted the plan, so he had more than enough room to store it on his person.

The cavern crumbled around him in small sections as the conduit continued to shudder and buckle, breaking off into pieces and falling in the pool of water below. V gradually slowed as he went, despite the fact that he was attempting to move quicker in order to escape. Where was everyone? Had they been led astray by the vast network of tunnels that snaked through the earth to reach this place? One could only hope that wasn’t the case. And even if they were with him, would they see him in the pitch black darkness of the cave? He was soaked head to toe in a mixture of the black liquid from the conduit and his own blood, much to the dismay of the non-sentient white shirt Kyrie had talked him into wearing. At least it was now a color more to his liking.

Every cloud.

His injured leg and neck burned as he limped along, more or less unsure as to where he was actually going. Despite the fact that more light was being let in from the holes in the roof of the cavern, his own vision was dimming. Without the extra dose of adrenaline in his system from his involuntary trigger, he was hopelessly low on blood and the energy to carry on much longer. The only upside was that his injuries had ceased bleeding during his transformation, the rush of demonic power more or less acting as a band-aid during the process. His body had patched itself up as much as it possibly could given the circumstances, but he knew that he was still wounded and weak. He couldn't last much longer in such a state, especially lost and alone with nowhere to go.

What he wouldn’t have done for Griffon to be by his side.

Or his cane...

Or for the energy and know how to trigger a second time.

He was almost certain that he’d possessed wings for a moment.

Just as he reached a small open patch in the underbrush, a familiar voice called out to him. V glanced up from the ground he’d been too weak to look up from and shuttered slightly at the sight before him. Standing across the clearing from him were Dante, Vergil, and Nero, more than likely just as surprised to see him as he was to see them. Upon catching sight of the sorry state that he was in, they rushed forward to meet him, and not a moment too soon. Vergil managed to get within an arm's reach of him before he crumbled like wet cardboard in a storm and his legs buckled, sending him crashing face first into his bewildered parent.

Vergil kneeled down to make eye contact with the young summoner, allowing him to simply slump over on him as he caught his breath. Although he was not unconscious, it didn’t take a particularly keen eye to realize that there was no way he was walking out of there. V had long since reached his breaking point, and there was no going any further. The devil slayer in blue took a moment to quietly take in the sight before him, the gravity of the situation not lost on him. Although he didn’t say it (or anything at all) as Vergil quietly placed his hand on the back of V’s injured shoulder to covertly assess the damage, he was quite proud of him for making it as far as he had with so little still left in him. Anyone present could tell that he'd struggled considerably to arrive at the location that he had in such short order, especially without the assistance of his family. V’s true strength came from his willpower and refusal to lay down and die at the hands of his enemies, and Vergil couldn’t help but respect that. It was a similar sentiment.

“... You should rest. Do not try to get up.” Vergil said almost breathlessly, relief settling over him and he turned towards Dante and Nero. The two of them had been standing a few feet behind him, giving them the space that they clearly needed. “Take him for a moment.”

Nero stepped forward without any form of hesitation, no consideration for the heart attack all the blood he'd be soaked in as a result would probably cause Kyrie when they next met passing through his mind. He would worry about that when they were out of there. Dante hovered around the three of them, trying and mostly succeeding in his attempts to hide his concern. His body language gave it away more than anything else. The devil hunter in red was simply relieved to see that V was still breathing, especially considering how bad he looked. There really was something to him, wasn’t there? While he had no idea what had transpired down there, he knew what had just happened to V. All of them did, though the younger of the twin Sons of Sparda wasn't entirely sure if Nero had clued into it just yet. That kind of power was unmistakable.

Vergil took the opportunity to unsheath Yamato and open up a portal to another location before turning towards Nero and Dante. “Go. I’ll take him.”

The two shared a curious look before wordlessly following his lead. This wasn’t the time for questions, and wherever the gate led had to be better than where they were, if only for the fact that it probably wasn't a collapsing cave. As soon as they’d passed through, Vergil kneeled over and brushed off the breathless attempt that V made to offer to stand and simply scooped him up, carrying him bridal style through the portal. The young summoner attempted to protest for a moment before caving to his father's silent demands. V closed his eyes and finally allowed exhaustion to settle over him in earnest, letting out a sigh of relief and discomfort. There was no point in trying to accomplish anything else, not with the state he was in. 

As Vergil approached the portal, he paused for a moment. The desire to go and do a quick check of the area to try and assess what they'd been up to was almost overwhelming, but he knew that V couldn't spare that kind of time. He would have to return after he'd seen to it that both of his trouble making spawn were somewhere less hazardous. A quick glance down confirmed that V was still conscious, though less so than he had been moment's prior. And in that moment, it seemed that the cold irony of the situation settled over the Darkslayer. Vergil had followed through on his prior threat back at the hotel after all. 

He’d found something to carry after all.

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, boy, this is going to be one hell of a comment section. I’m excited and scared to see what everyone is going to say all at once. It took me so long to write this chapter that I can’t even put it into words. Thanks again for all of you awesome support, and I’ll see you next Wednesday! I’ll keep you posted on my possible upcoming work hours. I’ve been off work since before Soliloquy started, but I’m going to try my hardest to keep the same upload schedule. Wish I could just get paid to stay at home and write for you all!


	28. Chapter Twenty Eight: Remedy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: It took me entirely too much willpower not to mention what was going to happen in this chapter when I was talking to a few of you about two weeks ago about something. You'll know what I'm talking about as soon as soon as you get to that part!

Chapter Twenty Eight: Remedy 

(-~-)

The peaceful evening silence that enveloped Magnolia’s sleepy tree-lined street suddenly subsided as a low hum filled the air. Within seconds, a glowing blue portal opened up at the foot of her front steps and out stepped Sparda’s descendants, slightly disoriented and unsure of their location at first glance. Nero’s eyes darted from side to side as he took in the area that surrounded them in an attempt to reorient himself. Nothing looked familiar to him until he caught sight of a familiar Apothecary, nodding to himself in silent recognition. How could he forget those stairs? Sometimes he swore he could still feel the indent they’d left in his body the very first time they’d come here.

Dante took in the quiet streets, seemingly recognizing where they were as well. He didn’t vocalize this, but it was evident nonetheless in the way that he relaxed and put his sword away. Explaining that sort of thing to any possible onlookers wasn’t something they intended to do anytime soon, especially after what had happened in Redgrave City. The only saving grace of that incident was the fact that people tended to close their windows and stay inside after dark. And something told the youngest Son of Sparda that something similar might happen to the quiet little beachside town they’d just vacated if they didn’t return sometime soon to make sure that conduit wasn’t functional. From what Dante could tell, it seemed somewhat similar to a Hellgate. If it was possible to destroy it, then they should probably go about doing so.

Moments later, Vergil passed through the portal with V, the portal finally closing behind it’s master as the Darkslayer carried the somewhat disoriented summoner towards the stairs quietly. There was a sort of cutting discomfort that came with the silence, indicating to Dante that his older twin might be more concerned than he was letting on. Vergil was focused on a task, and that task was making sure that V was safe. Anyone or anything that got between him and that task was in for a rude awakening. If there was one thing that Dante knew for certain about his twin brother, it was that when he set his mind to something, it became his only focus until the take was completed. That single minded drive was admirable in some cases, but the things that Vergil tended to focus on were, well, less than ideal most of the time. To say that it was a pleasant change of pace to see him focus on something or  _ someone _ dear to him instead of staying behind to do battle would be an understatement. Dante just wished that something wasn’t his wounded nephew. It seemed that the young white haired summoner simply couldn’t catch a break.

Just before Nero reached the front door, it suddenly slammed open and out stepped Magnolia, weapon drawn and ready to fight. She looked as fierce and determined as ever. Nero felt a strange sense of dejavu pass over him as the alchemist lowered the long rod in her hands and sat it down against the inside of the doorway, letting out a sigh of relief as she shook her and blinked slowly.

“Well, it’s quite the surprise to see you here, love. But a pleasant one, to be sure. How did you manage to return so quickly…” Her eyes traveled away from Nero and down towards Vergil, widening slightly as she trailed off. The horror in her face was subtle but apparent as she caught sight of V, the back of her hand traveling up towards her face and covering her lips.” That’s a lot of blood. Please tell me he’s not…”

Vergil shook his head as he approached, the summoner in question shivering slightly and letting out a soft cough as if in response to her inquiry. “No, but I can see why you would think that. His condition doesn’t exactly inspire optimism.” 

She met him halfway, placing the back of her hand on V’s shoulder to try and see the injury. With a disapproving scowl and a shake of her head, she gestured towards the front door, back away from them and towards the house. “Come with me. I’ll see what I can do. If everything goes as planned, then the others should arrive in just over two hours. I can work with that.”

Nero and Dante followed closely behind as Magnolia led them into the house, heading down a hallway adjacent to her staircase that Nero honestly hadn't noticed was there the last time he’d visited. The space contained three doors, on either side of the hall and one at the very end. She entered the door at the end of the hallway, passing the one closest to the living room. Upon entering, she turned on the light and stepped out of the way, allowing Vergil to enter. 

At first, Nero was surprised to find that it was a bathroom, but then the logic behind the decision occurred to him. He was soaked in blood. This would probably be the easiest place to remedy that situation and to clean up after the fact. Nero could only hope that the majority of the blood his older brother had came from his kidnappers and not from him, but he silently acknowledged that that was more than likely wishful thinking. V wouldn’t have looked so weary and hurt if things had turned out any other way. But in spite of the fact that he had no idea where V was even injured, he couldn’t help but notice that he’d been limping rather heavily when they’d found one another.

“I think his leg might be hurt or something. He doesn’t seem like he can stand up, and I’ve seen him walk off worse injuries than that before.” Nero said quietly as Vergil placed V into the bathtub. Although there was no water in the tub, V shivered against the cold surface of the porcelain edging, showing that he was still more coherent than his physical state might have alluded to. He blinked slowly for a moment before closing his eyes again and breathing heavily, clearly exhausted but not one to complain about it even when he had every right to do so.

Magnolia nodded in recognition of Nero’s statement before leaning over V and snapping her fingers in order to get his attention. He opened his eyes slightly, only moving his vivid green pupils in response to her presence. Anything more was out of the question at that point. “Sorry, dear. I’m afraid that I have to touch you. I get the impression that’s not something you normally go for. Do forgive me.”

V blinked in a way so slow and deliberate that it could only be taken as a sign of conformation. She then turned her attention to his leg, quickly locating the puncture wound that had caused him so very much trouble. With a sympathetic wince, she sat down on the floor and opened the doors to her sink, pulling out a sizable clear container filled with a number of jars and other miscellaneous products. One could only assume it was a first aid kit of some sort, but they had no way of truly knowing until she actually used it. “That’s quite the stab wound. Some sort of crooked or curved blade if I was to make an educated guess. Nasty piece of work, that one.”

Upon leaning over to silently observe magnolia’s handiwork, Vergil nodded to himself subtly, making a mental note of something. “It seems you were correct, Nero. How observant of you.” Vergil said in an almost impressed tone.” Any ideas as to what kind of blade could inflict such a wound?”

In an action that surprised everyone present, V shifted slightly and reached into his back pocket, producing the very blade in question. The curved dagger glistened in the dim light, raising questions as to what it was composed of in the first place. Even in his weakened state, he found the energy to smirk in self satisfaction at his handiwork. “It’s nothing compared to this,” He said tiredly as he used the same hand to pull back the collar of his shirt on the left side to reveal the deep stab wound Agreus had inflicted upon him,” But I like to think he’s enjoying the matching hole I left in  _ his _ leg in whatever part of hell he currently resides in.”

Magnolia gestured towards the blade, quietly requesting to hold it. V obliged, more than happy to not have to look at it again for a while. She turned it over in her hands, examining it in earnest with a look of confusion and fascination plastered across her face. She then passed it off to Vergil, the oldest Son of Sparda clearly displeased that such an instrument had found itself embedded into one of his children. Nero gritted his teeth at the sight of the blade, more than happy to pass up an opportunity to get hands on with it. From what he could tell, it was quite sharp. And he was willing to bet that it had been extremely painful to have lodged inside of such a sensitive part of V’s body. It made him want to kill the cultist responsible even more than he already did.

How could someone do that to someone else?

“That blade is exceptionally old, wouldn’t you agree, Vergil?” Magnolia said as she assessed V’s neck wound with a look of sympathy on her face. How dare someone do this to her newfound companion! He was such a gentle soul.” I can’t imagine where a cult would obtain such an artifact. It seems demonic in origin, and last time I checked, there wasn’t exactly a museum they could steal this from.”

Vergil held the blade up into the light again, turning it over his hands. Yes, there was most certainly something demonic about the blade. It seemed to almost absorb the blood that it was coated in, and a quick rinse under the faucet revealed that it was actually hydrophobic aside from that. How truly fascinating. And concerning.

As the eldest of the Dark Knight Sparda’s twin sons examined the blade, Dante stepped forward and shot it a glance, his brow furrowing slightly at the sight of it up close. He grabbed it as Vergil was in the process of looking it over, giving it a quick examination, and then immediately handing it back to him before he had time to become irritated about the fact that he’d just snagged it without asking to do so first.

“Is there something you’d like to add, Dante?” Vergil inquired almost sarcastically, his arms folded. He placed the dagger down on the counter, now finished with his studies. There was nothing more he could glean from it, at least not without further context and reference materials. That could be a problem. But right now, they had a list of those longer than Magnolia’s house was tall. And as soon as V recovered from his injuries, they needed to start addressing them. If the cultists had been telling the truth, then they had much bigger problems than a few deranged summoners having meet and greets in the wilderness outside of a derelict city. Belial was an especially unkind demon, the likes of which even the demon emperor Mundus didn’t enjoy interacting with. As demon princes, they were both constantly vying for power, but Belial was nothing like his king. No, he was much more cunning. Much more covert in his operations. Much more  _ intelligent _ . His ruthless machinations knew no bounds, and anyone who stood between him and his goals tended to suffer immensely for their insubordination. And from what he could tell, the dark prince seemed to have a goal in mind. V.

How unfortunate for Belial.

“Actually, I do.” Dante said as he leaned against the back wall. Nero shot him a curious look. A situation where Dante knew something about the Underworld that Vergil didn’t? Now what was a rare thing to behold.” I’ve seen this thing before. It was about ten years ago now.” 

Vergil waved him on as if to tell him to continue while Magnolia tended to V’s injuries to the best of her abilities. Things had suddenly become much more interesting. “How can you be so sure?

Dante sighed, glancing over at V as the young summoner shifted in discomfort. It was at times like this that he was exceedingly glad he healed so quickly from injuries. The prospect of having something stuffed into such a raw wound to help stop the bleeding wasn’t favorable to him. “Because I helped kill the guy who stole it in the first place,  _ Vergil _ . He was going to use it to unleash some demon named Argosax, so this secret order of supposedly part demon guardians that… You know, I still don’t know what they really do?” Dante scratched the back of his ear, genuinely trying to remember and failing miserably at it. He’d honestly never really asked or paid that much attention in the first place.” My point is that they guard these things called Arcana, and that’s one of them. I gave them back to a friend of mine there and left it alone. Wasn’t trying to get wrapped up any further into whatever dad did with them way back when. They’d probably like that back.”

The oldest Son of Sparda stared at his younger twin blankly, clearly taken aback by this revelation, and not hiding it nearly as well as he probably would have liked. Vergil took a moment to compose himself before speaking, not at all used to being so far out of his depth.”...  _ You found a secret order composed of others that are similar to us that were aligned with our father and never thought that mentioning that might be a good idea?” _ Vergil said gesturing firmly with both hands as though he were contemplating strangling the life out of his younger twin then and there.” Do you have any idea how long I searched for something like-”

Magnolia sighed, catching their attention. “Fight about that on the way over there, dears. You should go see them about this. Blades like that can sometimes be sacrosanct and cursed. Between that and whatever this fluid is that V is covered in, an order of guardian warrior priests might be just what the doctor ordered.” The alchemist brushed her hair out of the way and reached for the shower faucet, fully intending to try and remove said liquid off of her hapless patent.” This doctor, that is. Well, this Apothecary. I can’t claim the title. My point is that I’m doing everything I can, but I can’t account for that kind of magical interference.”

Nero nodded in agreement. “She’s got a point. We should probably do that. It’s their knife, right? Maybe they could tell us what’s going on with this cult and why they’d need it?”

As the three of them considered this, V practically jumped out of his skin in response to being sprayed with cold water from Magnolia’s shower. He bumped his head against the wall, shooting her a weary and perplexed look as if to ask her why she would do something like that to him. Magnolia gave his right shoulder a soft pat and ruffled his now damp hair, causing the not quite closed cut in his head to sting. There were so many individual parts of his body that hurt that it was genuinely hard for his brain to wrap itself around them.” I do enjoy traveling. And maybe this time there will be less cult activity since their leader fell into that conduit.”

Magnolia visibly paled. “Wait, is that what you're covered in?! They had access to a conduit  _ and _ a ritual blade?!” She looked startled as she doused V with yet another layer of water.” That makes things considerably worse, all things considered. I can only imagine what they would have done should they have succeeded in finishing whatever sinister ritual they were obviously working on!”

Vergil nodded in agreement. The very thought of it was… unpleasant. “Especially considering the fact that we now know that Belial is in league with them. Nothing good ever comes from any dealings with him.”

The middle aged alchemist stared at her longtime friend for a moment, a look of blank horror on her face as she shut off the water.” …  _ Belial? _ Oh, how I wish you were just joshing. Why couldn’t you have a sense of humor so that I didn’t always have to take you so seriously?!”

Dante scoffed at her statement. 

He asked himself that same question every day.

With a shaky sigh, V turned to face the rest of them, nowhere near foolish enough to attempt standing given his current state. “I can only assume that was the demon who spoke to the cult leader before I…” V stopped dead in his tracks, his brain suddenly ceasing all function. He’d completely disregarded the gravity of what he’d done down in those caves.” Oh, that’s right. I may have done something I wasn’t aware I was capable of doing.”

Dante and Vergil both shot one another a curious look before turning their attention back towards V. Nero looked several shades more baffled than they did somehow. Magnolia simply looked at all four of them like she was about to commit murder if it was anything else bad. “Yes, we felt that. To be honest, I was doubtful that you were physically capable of triggering in the first place. Color me surprised.”

Nero decided to disregard Vergil’s pathetic attempt at humor in favor of staring at V like he’d grown a second head. That had been the energy he’d recognized when they were down there! It had reminded him of that day in the laboratory underneath Fortuna Castle when Agnus had nearly ended his life. Had V’s injuries triggered something similar within him? And if so, why hadn’t he recovered from his injuries yet? Did it have something to do with that blade, or was what had happened to him a one off in of itself? Nero had no idea how Dante or Vergil had managed to transform for the first time. And now that he knew that V was capable of doing so, he was genuinely irritated that he’d missed the opportunity to see him do that for the first time himself.

V gave the three of them an incredulous look. He wasn’t entirely sure how to process everything that had happened that evening. It all seemed surreal and painful in a way he was not equipped to deal with. All V wanted to do was rest at that point and recover from his injuries. He had a sneaking suspicion that he might undergo the same sort of rapid regeneration that he’d benefited from the last time he’d been hurt and gone to sleep. At the very least he wanted to know if that was the case.

Dante laughed slightly.” Yea I bet that was a rush. That cultists probably had no idea what hit em’. Kinda mad I didn’t get to see the look on his face now. But at least he’s probably dead, right?”

V gave his uncle a vapid look. Probably? “Do you think he could’ve survived something like that?”

The youngest Son of Sparda shrugged. “Can’t say. Don’t know much about how those things work. Brother?”

All they received in response was a shrug from Vergil. He himself wasn’t entirely sure. Conduits were relatively rare, and the one they had just visited had been utterly decimated by V’s attack. Still, he would look into it. V didn’t need to spend the rest of his life looking over his shoulder in anticipation for yet another stabbing. That had to be bad for his mental state. “I cannot say. Although I am curious as to how you heard Belial speak in the first place on account of how he has no mouth.”

The young summoner blinked in surprise, wracking his brain in an attempt to try and figure that out for himself. Had that been inside of his head? Was it an unwanted side effect of being so close to a conduit? V could only speculate. And the severe amount of exhaustion and pain that he was currently suffering from didn’t help very much in that regard. “... I do not know.”

Magnolia shook her head and gestured towards the door nearest to the living room. “For now, let’s not trouble him about it. He needs to rest while I tend to the rest of his injuries. Don’t make me spray you with this. Because I will.”

Vergil raised an eyebrow, intrigued as to why she thought he’d back down from such an empty threat. “Yes, Magnolia. Because water is such-”

Without warning she switched the sprayer back on, hitting Vergil dead in the face. The look of genuine shock and confusion that crossed his face in response to her actions was truly something. Dante ducked out of the way, not eager to be soaked as he scurried down the hallway like a kicked puppy. Vergil backed off, staring daggers at his longtime friend as he did so. He would find a way to get her back for that one.

For his part, Nero simply laughed at them both while V shook his head in exhausted disbelief. The short haired devil hunter turned to his brother and extended his hand, more than willing to help him up. After all the blood he’d gotten on himself from helping V, he could use a shower himself. “Need some help, V?”

V looked up at him, genuinely unable to find the strength to move even a finger. A small, appreciative smile crossed his face as he blinked slowly in response to his younger sibling’s generous offer. “Yes. That would be advisable.”

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was such a fun chapter to write the dialogue for! OMG! Here’s a link to the art that inspired my idea of what V’s DT looks like in this fic. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it! Go check them out! I’m sure you’d love their DMC art! Don’t worry, I asked first! They are super nice! See you in the comment section! 
> 
> https://twitter.com/AsaderiChan/status/1112822343380975618


	29. Chapter Twenty Nine: Anthihesis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I LOVE the comments everyone left on the last two chapters! It's so rewarding! I'll be building my first ever PC today. Wish me luck!

Chapter Twenty Nine: Antithesis

(-~-)

The room fell silent as mist blanketed the surrounding city. So far, the early morning hours had been filled with a thick blanket of fog, and rain was expected before noon. Thankfully, everyone was inside, even if they were not all under the same roof. As soon as the train had arrived, Dante and Vergil had gone to meet the others, insisting that Nero stay behind both for his own safety and for V’s. They had no way of knowing whether or not the cult had managed to track them down, and while they were relatively sure that they had taken care of them once and for all, Vergil was, as always, not optimistic.

Nero had stayed behind as requested, begrudgingly accepting the fact that they were right about what was going on. As much as he wanted to help protect his family and friends, V was a sitting duck so long as he was asleep in Magnolia’s guest room, and there was absolutely no way he was going anywhere in the state that he was currently in. Despite the fact that his injuries had been sufficiently patched, and the bleeding had stopped, there was still no way that he was going to simply walk out of her house and possibly into the line of fire again.

In a rare moment of benevolence, the universe decided not to test them any further, at least for one day. The train had pulled into the station with very little fanfare, and they had managed to make sure that everyone made it home safely. Much to the surprise of Kyrie and Nico, Magnolia insisted that they all stay until the next day to minimize the chances of any stragglers following them home. Needless to say that the living room had been very full for a few short hours.

Under the cover of darkness, Nero and the others had gone their separate ways, Lady taking it upon herself to make sure that Patty made it home safely. And with everyone out of town and ample time to sit and wait for V to recover (Magnolia insisted that V stay at her home until she deemed him ready to leave this time), Dante had taken the opportunity to travel back to the cult’s stomping grounds to try and find out what had become of Trish. Griffon had returned an absolute mess, stating that he’d shown Trish the way through the forest and that she’d decided to stay behind and investigate. As sure as Dante was that his longtime friend didn’t need his help, he was also sure that a little while alone with his injured son wasn’t going to do Vergil any harm. He needed to see for himself what had happened in that place, and he needed to take a better look at this “conduit” that everyone kept going on about. If an Arcana was involved, then it couldn’t hurt to have more information to share with the rightful keepers of the blade when the time came.

And so they’d gone their separate ways, trying to utilize the calm before the storm as best as they could.

**Two days had passed since that decision.**

As residual condensation ran down the windows and onto the ledge below, Vergil glanced over at V. He’d spent the better part of three days asleep, more than likely drained from his injuries. And although Magnolia had confirmed that he wasn’t in any form of coma, Vergil had decided that the best course of action had been to stay behind and at his side, trying not to seem as eager for him to awaken as he actually was. As much as the Darkslayer didn’t want to admit it, he was slightly concerned as to why V had yet to awaken from his extended slumber. While passing out after the residual energy that came with triggering for the first time wore off was far from unheard of, sleeping for three days straight was simply insane.

Was that some sort of gauge of his newfound strength? Did his body require that sort of time to reset and properly acclimate to such a drastic change in his biology? It didn’t seem unlikely, but it also didn’t make Vergil any less stir crazy. At the end of the day, he needed to be sure that his oldest son was actually going to be okay, and this wasn’t helping in any way, shape, or form.

“You do know that hovering over him isn’t going to make him wake up any quicker, don’t you?” Magnolia said quietly as she inched into the room, a sympathetic look on her face. The botanist didn’t know what she expected to see when she entered the room, but a part of her had hoped that there had been some change to her young patient's condition.

Vergil glanced over at her wordlessly, not at all surprised to see her again. She’d been checking in on V every hour or so for the better part of the morning, quietly worrying over him like a worried mother. From what he could tell, nothing seemed to be wrong with V other than the fact that he had yet to awaken from his prolonged and worry inducing slumber. Magnolia had checked basic things such as his temperature and heart rate several times, noting no change in his physical state. And if his demeanor and rather peaceful appearance were anything to go by, the young summoner wasn’t suffering in any way, shape, or form. He was simply taking the longest nap ever.

“I might have come to that conclusion by now, yes.” Vergil said as he reclined slightly, the back of the chair he was sitting in touching the wall nearest to the window. It came to rest in a slightly odd position, but not one that either of them paid any mind to.

“What I mean is… aren’t you tired?” Magnolia said as she came around the side of the bed to run her usual tests, a slightly worried tone tenting her normally melodic voice.” I don’t think I’ve seen you sleep since you arrived.”

The Darkslayer folded his arms across his chest loosely, more defensive than upset in any regard. “I have no interest in sleeping.”

“Neither do children, but they still require it, Vergil.” She said flatly as she recorded her results. There was still no notable change in his state. And from what she could tell, his vitals were just as they had been for the last day or so. V was simply depleted, and there was no changing that for the time being. Still, Magnolia found herself wishing that there was something more she could do to help. Seeing someone so young in such a state genuinely hurt her soul, bringing her back to unpleasant memories from her own past. The last time she’d seen her parents, they had been in a similar state. Only they were much older and had accomplished considerably more in the time that had been allotted to them. No one so young should have to suffer so egregiously.

Vergil closed his eyes, taking in her statement with a slight amount of salt. While he understood the validity of her statement, that still didn’t change his stance on the matter. And he didn’t care how irrational that seemed to anyone else involved. “Don’t you have a shop to attend to?”

“It’s the weekend. And even if it wasn’t, I would be for this.” Magnolia said with an offhanded gesture towards V as she recorded the last of her results in a composition notebook that she kept on the bedside table. It wasn’t exactly a patient spreadsheet, but then this wasn’t exactly a hospital, so it was the best she could do in the interim.” I have more important things to attend to at the moment.”

For a moment, Vergil quietly wondered to himself if his longtime associate could actually afford closing her shop for the conceivable future. While he knew that her lineage was one of substantial pedigree and, as such, had amassed substantial wealth in the many generations since they’d been established, Magnolia had never been the sort to accept monetary assistance from others, even her own family. Much like him, she equated the concept of owing another entity financially to them possessing ownership over her. And much like him, she found that idea utterly revolting. She would much rather strike out of her own accord, and deal with the undesired backlash of her actions herself. That had been what firmly differentiated her from the rest of her family as far as he was concerned.

The Ludwicks were a family. A coven.

Magnolia was an individual.

And  _ no one _ was going to take that hard earned independence from her without one hell of a fight.

“You kept your word, I see.” Vergil said quietly, his eyes traveling back to his unconscious son as Magnolia gave him a questioning look.” You said you had no intention of abiding by the traditions set forth by your ancestors, and here you are. Was it worth it?”

A look of realization crossed Magnolia’s face as she finally comprehended what Vergil was going on about. As the oldest daughter of her family, she was the de facto leader of her family’s coven, and leader of the Ludwick  shaman. It had been her duty to uphold her sect’s traditions and practices, but she had no interest in doing so. Her heart and mind belonged to other less…  _ questionable  _ practices. And as such, she had chosen to go against them by not participating in them. Instead, she had chosen a quiet life filled with interests that the rest of her bloodline would probably consider incredibly mundane, only occasionally straying into adventure and conquest. And when her parents had died and she’d told the rest of her family that she planned to do so, Vergil, unlike everyone else she knew, had believed her. And then he had simply vanished, only to return over twenty years later with a favor to ask.

There was no proper way to express what that had meant to her at such a difficult time in her young life.

“I have to say, it most certainly was.” Magnolia said quietly as she sat down on the windowsill, taking her hair down and allowing it to flow freely.” It cost me the loyalty of most of my family, but if that was all it took, then perhaps I didn’t have it to begin with. And besides, I’m not alone in the end after all. That being said, I do with that my sisters would simply kiss and make up already. They are being quite childish.”

Vergil smirked in response to her answer for a brief moment, the irony of that statement not lost on him in the slightest. He was self aware enough to be able to see some of his own life issues reflected in her life, and pity her suffering regardless of her desire for him to do so. It was a shame that her family had never seen her brilliance, and an even bigger one that her nearly equally bright younger siblings had fallen short in the same regard.

“It seems that my confidence in Willow and Aluta has been misplaced.” Vergil said, barely concealing his scathing sarcasm. The two younger girls had been hell on earth for him during his brief time spent with them in his youth. As far as he was concerned, saying that Magnolia was the smart one wasn’t as much an opinion as it was a concrete fact. While the other two girls were far from dull, they weren't exactly on their older sister’s level, either. Not even close.” And I will never understand your family’s obsession with botanically themed names. It’s just so…  _ asinine _ .”

The plucky botanist shook her head, snickering quietly to herself. “ I never took you for much of a liar,  _ Son of Sparda _ . You never had any faith in them to start with! I know it, you know it,  _ everyone _ including them should know it by this point.” She said almost playfully, thankful for the reprieve from the lingering tension that blanketed the room.” As for the naming conventions... well I could say the same about your family! You’ve exhausted nearly all the good Latin names already, and you're only about three generations in! It’s about longevity, my dear. To pick a theme and run it into the ground, you must be dedicated, Vergil. It’s an art form.”

He shook his head, admittedly somewhat amused by Magnolia’s statement.  _ This _ was why he could talk to her and not her sisters. The botanist was genuinely clever, her wit leagues above the vast majority of beings he’d spoken with during his lifetime. But regardless, he wasn’t going down without a fight. “Latin in a primordial language, one that your family’s obsession with flora and fauna owes a terrible debt to, Magnolia. We’ve yet to even scratch the surface.”

She shook her head playfully, sparing a glance at V. “Oh, I’m sure. That being said, I’m starting to get the impression that the eldest of your offspring must despise whatever dreadful name you’ve no doubt forced upon him. I’ve never once heard any of you call him by it. Do you even know what it  _ is? _ ”

Vergil’s gaze narrowed, his eyes roaming between Magnolia and V. A fair question, to be sure. And one he had walked himself into like the fool that he was. But not one that he felt like giving a meaningful answer to. “... I’m waiting for the proper moment to expose him in the most unexpected way possible. I only get to do it one, after all.” He paused for a moment, his voice quieting slightly as the humor he’d possessed left him.” As for his motivation for introducing himself in the way that he does… I suspect he has other reasons. Perhaps reasons that are too personal to speculate on, even for me.”

Magnolia nodded, understanding how to take a hint and when to drop a subject before things took a turn for the worst. Their families were complicated. There was no reason to make things any worse than they already were. “Speaking of speculation, I have some I’d like to share about your son.” She stood up and made her way over towards V, the young summoner still fast asleep.” I have reason to believe that he’s still recovering, though not in the way that you might expect. He healed two days ago. Physically at least. The only reason I’ve bothered to keep his bandages in place was to apply pressure to his bruises in the hope that they’d heal faster. But aside from that, he’s not physically impaired to any meaningful degree. I have reason to believe that he does in fact benefit from a heightened healing factor, though only when he’s asleep.”

Her observation gained her a slightly baffled look from Vergil. Although that didn’t make much sense to him, he wasn’t going to discount it. But the entire concept seemed somewhat counterproductive to him.” Do you have any idea why that might be?”

She nodded, flipping through her composition notebook.” As a matter of fact, I do. It’s because of V’s nonexistent energy levels. I was not made aware until just recently that he’s got a, how should I put this,  _ weak constitution _ . I assumed that he was simply experiencing a weak spell as a result of his recent return. No, according to him he’s always been like this. And I believe that is why his latent abilities are so segmented and slow to activate. His body is using his standard power to keep him stable, acting as a sort of crutch to his immune system. But once asleep, his abilities no longer need to stretch themselves so thin and he recovers. It all makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?”

Vergil nodded to himself slowly, considering her statement.” ... That would help make sense of his current condition as well. It is not so much a question of whether or not he is capable of triggering, but a question of if he can physically handle it when he does so. 

She snapped her fingers, signaling that he’d gotten the gist of her statement.“ Tell me Vergil, being a hybrid yourself, do you believe it possible to actually be so powerful that your body simply cannot sustain its own ambient energy? That it is possible to be  _ too powerful _ for your own good?”

He sighed begrudgingly, not at all keen on the implications of that statement. He’d spent a lifetime working towards becoming more powerful, throwing away everything that wasn’t taken away from him in his endless pursuit of power. And in the ultimate act of irony, he had helped conceive a being that was the very antithesis of himself. A hybrid so powerful that their body was actually harmed by their own powers to an extent. How much more ironic could things possibly be?

“And yet he displays very little of the power that you speak of.” Vergil ws unsure of what to think about such an observation, despite the fact that it made sense when contrasted to some of the things he’d seen involving V. But perhaps the implications were simply too troubling to consider. Could V be cursed with the very thing that he actively desired? Was that even a curse? Was there such a thing as too much power when it came to demonic abilities? Truly, he was at a crossroads with this revelation.

“Maybe that’s by design. Maybe something happened to him once. Something so traumatic that he’s repressed it and his abilities along with it.” Magnolia shrugged, unsure of what more she could say on the subject. “You must remember that your sons are not quite like you and your brother. They are more human. That imbalance had so come with tradeoffs. And while they seem to be good, I can only assume that some of them are not. You and I both understand the costs of such power. Take my clan and our abilities for example. And if that is not sufficient, look to your own bloodline, Vergil. It is a possibility to consider. Sometimes power doesn’t make sense. It’s dubious and it comes from a variety of sources. At times you can hold it in your hand. Other times it is something you feel in your heart. You don’t have to believe it to be true.”

On that concept, they agreed, even if it was for different reasons. Vergil would have to consider the options provided to him, but his longtime friend’s observations made a lot of sense to him. But until V woke up, they had no way of knowing for sure. And that fact alone was enough to cause Vergil a new level of dismay that he didn’t know he possessed. The idea that the very thing he'd devoted so much of his life to might be the very thing that V desired and benefited from the least was almost unreal to him. And as soon as his son woke up, he intended to try and find out.

They needed to go to that island that Dante had spoken of.

And they needed to meet the Guardians of the Arcana.

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been very interesting. And I already have the coolest idea for next week’s chapter. Gotta get as much writing done as possible before the holidays arrive, right? I hope this chapter sparks some interesting but civil conversation in the comments section, and I hope to see you for chapter thirty. I have some very special stuff planned for the 30th chapter of this fic and the 50th chapter in this series. That’s just an unreal number lol! What I wouldn’t do to have a physical copy of this fic!


	30. Chapter Thirty: Interloper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Thanks for all the amazing feedback, everyone! This has been a super stressful week. I just built my first pc, and I have to take it to Geeksquad today (10/26) to have them test it for a power issue that causes my system to randomly shut down without notice. I’m not scared to death at all! Nope! Hahahahahaha! *Cries*.

Chapter Thirty: Interloper

(-~-)

Light shined through thick cracks in the roof of the cavern as excess moisture dripped from above, colliding with the ground below. The area didn’t look entirely dissimilar to that of the underworld, thick layers of luminescent stone coating multiple surfaces around the conduit, and a similar stone forming the monument itself, albeit without the otherworldly glow. The black sludge remained, but no longer seemed to bubble and boil as it once had. How a cold fluid could seemingly boil was beyond Dante, but then again, the many fascinating facets of the underworld were more his brother’s thing.“Think of it as a kind of scab, the tear itself being an open wound that never heals.” Trish said as she watched Dante examine the area immediately around the conduit, the youngest of Sparda’s twin sons clearly trying to comprehend the cult’s goals in this place.” And try not to spend too long in that sludge. I’ve heard that it can have strange effects on those who spend extended amounts of time near it.”

Dante perked up slightly at her statement, formerly lost in thought. “Do you think that it’s going to affect V? He was soaked in this stuff, and he wasn’t exactly in one piece when we found him.”

As her face migrated towards her hands, she shrugged, not so much aloof as she was indecisive. “I can’t really say. There are very few conduits, so this fluid is very uncommon. It might be worth bringing some back for Magnolia to study, but I’m not sure she could come up with much. She’s a botanist after all, and this isn’t exactly a plant.”

He responded with a nod, agreeing with her sentiment. Trish was correct, Magnolia wasn’t that kind of scientist. But perhaps she knew someone that could help them identify the core components of the otherworldly substance. It was best to have some sort of idea what they might be going up against if this stuff had actually made it into his bloodstream. And if all else failed, maybe Nico could give it a look. It was a long-shot, but Nero had told Dante that the young mechanism had managed to cobble together an actual time control device from a shard of Geryon’s horn that V had brought back, so anything was possible. Between the two of them, it seemed that nothing was entirely out of the question when it came to dubious acts of scientific research and even more dubious applications of… magic? Was it magic? How the hell _did_ Magnolia do half of the things that she did.

Dante was very tempted to ask his older twin how they’d met in the first place.

I mean, it was rather unlikely that he’d asked her on a date or something once upon a time.

He had a hard time imagining Vergil taking to a woman at all, but then again he did have two sons. But in all fairness, that wasn’t an activity that required much conversation. It was more of an “actions speak louder than words” sort of affair, except in the instances where those actions caused a large quantity of words. Regardless, Dante was somewhat positive that Vergil and Magnolia had never had that sort of relationship. She was several times out of his league, though he liked to imagine that Vergil would pretend to not be interested in her just for the hell of it. 

The younger of the two twins wasn’t going to pretend that he knew much of anything about his brother’s love life, especially since he quite literally knew nothing about the mother’s of either of his nephews, but he was willing to believe that Vergil was probably the mutually exclusive sort. Deep down, he had to have feelings for at least _one of them_ . And considering the ease in which Magnolia toyed with the devil slayer in blue, he got the impression that they were comfortable around on another. But there was a large gap between conversation and… well _that._

He didn’t really want to imagine anything having to do with his brother’s love life in that regard at all.

Dante ran his finger against a deposit of Luminite, silently surprised to see it here again. It had been ages since he’d found any of the demonic mineral anywhere, yet here it was, practically oozing from every available surface, and glowing brightly in the dim cavern. What an unusual sight to behold. “Haven’t seen this stuff since I met you. Seems like a lifetime ago now. Any idea why it might be here?”

The blond devil jumped down from the spot she was perched on, no longer content with simply observing. Despite the fact that she’d made short work of the place before Dante had arrived, he’d insisted on taking a look for himself before they departed and returned home. While he possessed the utmost respect and confidence in Trish’s judgment and investigative skills, he also felt that coming all this way only to long use his own eyes to give the area a once over would be a foolish mistake, and the last thing he felt like doing was making more of those. So on the off chance that Trish had actually managed to miss something, Dante decided to take the opportunity to check things out for himself, and this rare but all too familiar form of sedimentary stone was far too strange to pass over.

“If I was willing to make a guess, I’d say that the influence of the conduit is doing this. Things tend to become more demonic immediately around one of these things, and the presence of naturally occurring Luminite in the human world just means that we're close to a huge deposit of demonic power. Malet island isn't unique in that regard.” She took a moment to look at the stone closer, considering something to herself.” That being said, I still can’t imagine what a cult would need V’s blood and an arcana for. It’s not like this is…”

She froze suddenly, something occurring to her. Dante gave her a curious look, alarm bells sounding in his head as he considered what she might be thinking.” What is it?”

She shook her head slowly, seemingly understanding their intentions for the first time. And what occurred to her was disturbing to say the least.” … Why didn’t I see it before? This is very bad.” She said, turning in the direction of the now dilapidated exit.” V is a descendant of Sparda like you and your brother. Your father sealed off the human and demon worlds, which is why nothing can really come through a conduit like this in the first place. But with the help of an Arcana that your father helped create, and V’s blood…”

Dante stopped dead in his tracks.

Oh. _OH. Oh, shit._

(-~-)

The fog was noticeably thicker than it had been, a light rain joining it as it blanketed the area in a chilly haze. After coming to the conclusion that hovering over V like he’d developed the bubonic plague wasn’t going to help matters in the slightest, the Darkslayer had allowed Magnolia to talk him into leaving the room. The two had ventured into Magnolia’s attic, the space housing the majority of her plants. The closure of her shop meant literally nothing to her botanical studies, and as such, she still needed to water the specimens in order to keep them in good condition. Well, that went for the majority of her plants, at least. Some were actually allergic to moisture, an aspect of their biology that she was never going to stop finding inconvenient. How on earth did a plant of any kind, be it from the underworld or not, manage to function without the presence of water? One could only imagine that things worked a little differently down there.

Vergil browsed the wide selection of academic texts that she kept on the bookcases in her workspace, keen to find something to help keep his mind occupied. He couldn’t make V wake up any faster, and she had been kind enough to allow him to stay as long as he liked until such an opportunity presented itself, but there was only one guest room in the house, and it was occupied. If Vergil couldn’t stretch out and make himself comfortable, then he would have to settle for entertaining himself in other ways.

“Do you have any books in this house that aren’t incredibly boring?” Vergil asked offhandedly, looking at the books but not really paying attention to them.

Magnolia shook her head slightly as she pruned one of her plants, her back to him. “Terribly sorry, darling. I thought you liked your books the way you like your personality.”

Vergil wasn’t sure if he should be insulted or entertained by her witty remarks. She was truly the queen of sarcastic comebacks. In all the years that he’d known her, Vergil had never been able to go toe to toe with her in regards to witty comebacks. Not that he had been trying to in the first place. Being the eldest son of Sparda, Vergil liked to think he was above such things, but depending on who you asked, they might say that that was a load of bullshit and that deep down he did actually possess a sense of humor.

After coming to the conclusion that simply opting to ignore her statement was probably the best thing he could do from a self preservation standpoint, he grabbed the first reasonably interesting book he could find and firmly planted himself into one of the nearby chairs. Magnolia continued to prune her strange looking plants, clearly focused on her craft. While he knew a passable amount about the flora and fauna that was native to the Underworld, the vast majority of what grew in her indoor greenhouse was totally unfamiliar to him.

“Dante nearly touched a cluster of Daturademonica while we were down in the underworld a little while ago. It’s a wonder that he’s still alive.” Vergil said casually as he leafed through the pages of one of her botanical encyclopedias. While the vast majority of the plants in the book would be foreign to even the most experienced botanists, they were average everyday specimens to those who were more supernaturally inclined. It couldn’t hurt to outfit himself with more knowledge on the subject. Such information might have been useful to him during his extended stay in the underworld. More than once he’d nearly consumed (or actually consumed) less than edible flora and fauna in an attempt to provide sustenance for himself. Not being poisoned would have been a nice to have in an environment so hellbent on ending his miserable existence.

Suddenly, Vergil didn’t miss his time in the underworld at all.

“I take it that what happened to Redgrave City was your doing, then? I thought as much. Either that, or your return was the most unfortunate case of fortuitous timing that I’ve ever seen.” She stepped away from the table she was working at and gave Vergil a serious yet solemn look as if she were mourning the loss of something dear to her.” But regardless, I’m glad that you both made it back safely. I won’t ask or even pretend to understand why you do anything that you do, Vergil. All I can do is try to help when things go awry.”

Vergil shifted slightly, crossing his legs in relative discomfort as she walked past him and towards the stairs. She sat her tools down and gestured for Vergil to follow her before descending the stairs. He watched her go for a moment before opting to follow her, taking a moment to return the book to its proper place on the shelf where he’d found it. He then started down the stairs after her, catching up rather quickly as she stopped to open the door to the room that V was located in. Much to his surprise, she stopped for a moment and did a noticeable doubletake before practically skipping back into the room, clearly excited about something.

Curiosity piqued, Vergil ventured into the room and was nearly as surprised as Magnolia was to see that V was no longer asleep. The young summoner in question was now seated with his back against the wall, looking practically as tired as he had when he’d fallen asleep a few days prior. Vergil was curious to know why he seemingly hadn’t improved much in the time he’d spent unconscious, but the fact that he had finally woken up and was no longer bleeding profusely was enough for him. At least for the time being. Vergil knew that the time for answers wasn’t far off, and as such, he was willing to wait just a little bit longer for that time to arrive.

As the two baffled onlookers made their way into the room, V eyed them quietly. He hadn’t felt as weak as he did in that moment since he’d been resurrected a short while ago. His head was foggy and the temptation to simply go back to sleep was strong, but he knew that doing so wasn’t advisable. If the looks on Vergil and Magnolias faces were anything to go by, he’d been asleep for a while longer than he’d originally intended.

“I suppose it’s reasonable to guess that I’ve been asleep for sometime now.” Vergil said horsley, taking a moment to clear his throat. It was almost as if his throat and lungs were glued together.” How long have I been unconscious? The last thing I remember was talking to Nero in the bathroom while you were tending to my injuries. After that, there’s nothing.”

Magnolia nodded. “That makes sense considering the fact that you passed out shortly after. Well, you sort of just collapsed. It’s still unclear what happened exactly.” She gestured towards the room they were in, firmly planting her hand on her hip.” I asked Nero to bring you in here after that. Keep the change of clothes. The ones you had on are _definitely_ not going to do you any good anymore. There isn’t enough bleach in existence to get demonic residue, blood, and dirt out of something like that. It’s a wonder your hair stays so white.”

For a moment, V wondered if this was what it was like to be scolded by an angry mother. He had no experience with such matters, but hearing her describe how hard it would be to get stains out of his clothing brought to mind the stereotypical ads he so often saw on billboards, magazines, and television ads. It made him wonder for a moment if the kindly woman that stood before him had any immediate family of her own; any children that came to visit from time to time. Perhaps asking her in the future would be a worthwhile use of his free time.

“I couldn’t tell you. It just sort of stays the way it is.” V said with a quiet shrug, his gaze turning towards the large window his bed was positioned in front of. Although the fog had yet to dissipate, white light pierced the glass and filled the room with much needed light.” ...I attempted to dye it once when I was younger. The results were… unsatisfactory to say the least. Apparently my hair is somewhat hydrophobic, at least as far as artificial pigment is concerned.”

Vergil resisted the urge to shake his head in a mixture of amusement and bewilderment. The idea of altering his hair color had never crossed his mind in the many years that he had been alive, even if that might have caused him significantly less trouble. Apparently the white hair that ran in their family was quite the dead giveaway to any demon that had ever met their father. So just the entire underworld.

“Why did you attempt to do so in the first place?” Vergil inquired, his back against the wall nearest to the door. At this point, he was genuinely curious. Had V been going through some sort of rebellious faze and decided that he needed to change things up? That was the only reason he could think of off the top of his head. Perhaps it was simply beyond him to understand why his oldest son did most of the things that he did. They had lived different lives and gone down different paths. All he could do now was hope for the best.

Much to his surprise, V looked somewhat taken aback by the question. The younger white haired man looked away from both of them for a moment, seemingly contemplating something that he found unpleasant. Magnolia glanced at Vergil for a moment, a questioning look on her face. She got the distinct feeling that whatever he was about to say wasn’t good.

“There were several aspects of who I was when I was growing up that didn’t sit right with the people around me. I had the misfortune of being a relatively low energy child who was both left handed and seemingly cursed with an unusual hair color.” V paused for a moment, repressing some of the memories that that statement had caused to surface.” At one point when I was at the precipice of becoming a teenager… I ran away from the place I was forced to call home. Changing my most noticeable feature seemed like a good idea at the time. Thankfully, the need to do so never arose. I don’t believe they ever bothered looking for me. I get the impression they would have been glad that I was gone. And I’ve never gone back to prove myself wrong.”

A strange mixture of emotions hit Vergil as he contemplated the concept of experiencing such a fundamental level of rejection. Although Dante drove him crazy at times when they were children, the idea of running away from home had never occurred to him. For V, someone he considered to be quite level headed and wary of his surroundings to do something so extreme… he must have faced an unprecedented amount of adversity.

In that moment, a look of heartbroken sympathy crossed Magnolia’s face as she tried to grasp the gravity of what V had just said. What terrible things had he experienced in his youth that had led him to such despair? Had she known that V was in such a state, she would have happily helped him without a moment’s notice. It would have been her pleasure to give him somewhere safe to go. This was awful.

Suddenly as if to break the tension in the room, the front door opened and two sets of footsteps could be heard coming towards them. Before anyone could react, Dante appeared in the doorway with Trish at his side, the two seemingly eager to share something with them. And whatever that something was, everyone present was willing to believe that it wasn’t good.

“Vergil... we might have a problem.”

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I Have a headcanon that V is a lefty because of how he does some of the things in the game. Also, the idea that both he and Nero are lefties is really interesting to me due to the odds of something like that happening. As for his childhood… all in good time. Slowly but surely we shall see more of it. The curse of Sparda family childhoods is alive and well! See you all on Friday. This next part is going to be a doozy!


	31. Chapter Thirty One: Hypothesis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Thanks for all the positivity and kindness, everyone! I don’t know if I ever say how much that means to me, but even the smallest acts go a long way towards making my day better! Never stop bring the legends you are :D

Chapter Thirty One: Hypothesis

(-~-)

The atmosphere between them grew tense as a hesitant silence settled over the small room, drawing everyone present into the conversation. Without a single word spoken as to the circumstances that had led to this moment, everyone knew that whatever was about to be spoken into existence wasn’t positive, and neither was the outcome, more than likely. The botanist spared a worried glance over at V, inching towards him slightly in an effort to lend some level of support to him. She somehow knew that this was about him, and the idea that something else could be plaguing him deeply wounded her. Why did the universe seem to have it out for him? He was such a lovely person!

Vergil gave his younger twin a curious look, his brow furrowing slightly as he folded his arms across his chest. He spared a glance over at V as if asking if it was about him, earning him a subtle but confirming nod from his younger brother. While he was admittedly not too keen on the fact that Trish was present once again, he was willing to force himself to tolerate her, at least for a few minutes. It was beyond him how his twin managed to have such a healthy relationship with her. But then again, they hadn’t had the kind of interactions that he and her had had on Malet island. Or he was willing to guess that, at least.

“... This is about me, isn’t it?” V said quietly. He was still reclined against the wall, tired and somewhat taken aback as to how quickly things had gone downhill since he’d woken up. He just couldn’t catch a break, could he? Was it too late to go back to sleep and just pretend he didn’t hear anything going on around him?

Sparing his son something akin to an understanding look, Vergil turned his attention back to Dante. At least somewhat. Visually, he was keeping a close eye on V, somewhat curious as to how he’d come to that conclusion so quickly.“ What is this about?”

Working off of the assumption that Vergil was talking to him and not to V, Dante stepped forward slightly. This was one of those situations that required him to simply spit it out and explain later, lest he run the risk of his older twin possibly not taking him as seriously as the situation at hand demanded. “Trish has a hunch I think you should listen to. It’s about the cult and why they might want V.”

Although the concept of having to talk to the blond devil that so closely resembled his tragically deceased mother made him physically ill and undeniably furious all at once, Vergil hesitantly nodded. It was best to simply get this over with and here what she had to say. Then he could go back to more pressing matters like trying to forget that she was around and how uncomfortable that constantly made him. “What is it then?”

Shaking her head slightly with an inaudible sigh, Trish stepped forward slightly. She knew from the get-go that this wasn’t going to be easy, and was more than certain that Vergil was only tolerating the concept of this conversation for the sake of his son, especially considering their past with one another, but a part of her was actually somewhat relieved that he was willing to do that much. There's had been a checkered past filled with unspeakable trauma and torment, most of which had been at the hands of her former master. And while she knew that and she was somewhat certain that he understood that as well, it didn’t make anything about the situation at hand any less uncomfortable and unfortunate.

“It occurred to me that Dante said that the inhabitants of Vie De Marli, these guardians that Dante told me the Arcana belonged to… your father helped create it and together they sealed away a powerful demon.” Trish paused for a moment to confirm that Vergil was actually still listening to her before continuing, still hesitant but aware of the fact that she needed to say what was on her mind regardless.” I think that this cult might be after V because he is a descendant of Sparda. They might be trying to create a new Hellgate. Why try to break the seals your father put in place when you can just start from scratch?

  
For a moment, Vergil fell silent, considering the possible negative ramifications of such an action. While he was unsure as to if that was possible, it seemed plausible considering their previous actions. But that raised so many questions. To what end would they be opening this gate? What had drawn them out of hiding in the first place? And most importantly, why had they picked V? What made him such an alluring prize? Something about this entire situation seemed personal on Belial’s behalf, and the Darkslayer couldn’t place what it was. Regardless, he wasn’t going to let that happen. Not for the sake of the human world. That was the least of his concerns. No. He needed to protect his sons. He was now strong enough to do so, and he wasn’t going to let anything stand between him and his own children ever again.

With an annoyed sigh, Vergil ran his hands down his face, totally unsure as to how all of this happened and why. There was simply nothing to be done about it, was there? “... And how do you suppose we should amend this situation? Visiting this secret order of yours seems like it might be a good place to start.”

Both Dante and Trish nodded in agreement. Yes, visiting the isle of the guardians did seem like a somewhat sensible idea despite the vast distance between them and the amount of time that had passed since Dante had paid the place a visit. The only issue at hand was the total lack of usable information at hand, and the fact that V was in no condition to travel. Oh, that was two things. V seemed to key into this, seemingly thinking quietly as Magnolia sat down next to him, seemingly pondering her merits of dragging him back out into the elements so soon.

“The cult has been destroyed, has it not? It should take a considerable amount of time for Belial to regain a foothold in the human realm, especially one with the kind of numbers he previously possessed.” She gave V’s forearm a gentle squeeze as if to reassure him, smiling softly when he glanced over at him.”... I think for the moment you should all look into things and all this one to rest and fully recover. I don’t think he will ever fully regain his strength if he continues to show up at my door in the state that he was in a few days ago. Keep your feelers out, but don’t overdo it?”

To say that Vergil was uncomfortable with all of his options would be an understatement. In all honesty, he felt the need to do both of those things, but he didn’t know how to compartmentalize them. For the moment, he would take her advice and turn his attention to other matters. Investigating things on his own might not be a bad idea, at least until V was capable of making the trek to… wherever this place was. “We came down here for something, Magnolia. What was it”

She looked at him strangely for a moment before a look of realization crossed her face. How could she forget so quickly? Perhaps her concern that they would ask V to leave before he was ready to in an understandable attempt to seek out answers had distracted her. For a moment, she had to remind herself that everyone in the room was an adult and as such, was capable of making their own decisions. Even if she didn’t like the decisions they could make, she was willing to accept them. 

“Ah yes… I was going to show you this.” She said as she stood up and walked over to the bedside table on the opposite side of the bed. She opened the door and produced a familiar black book, drawing V’s attention as he blinked away to confusion that he felt upon seeing it once again. He’d forgotten that he even grabbed that. Everything from the moment he’d triggered to waking up in the bed that he now found himself in seemed like a surreal fever dream from his current viewpoint. Although he wasn’t in any sort of pain, he was somewhat sore and extremely tired, despite his several day long slumber. It was a feeling that he was starting to become accustomed to, and he hated that.

“I forgot about that book… The cultist I fought, Agreus. He dropped that sometime before falling into the conduit.” V paused for a moment to catch his breath, suddenly feeling somewhat weaker than he had previously.” He was reading some sort of incantation out of it in between the stabbings he inflicted upon me. I didn’t understand enough of it to relay anything beneficial.”

The twins glanced between one another momentarily, contemplating the implications of what V had just said. The fact that he might be able to understand even a little bit of what was being said by those deranged idiots was fascinating to them, and they couldn’t help but wonder how that was possible. Had V taken up dead languages in school or something? Hell, had he even been to school? It was impossible to tell for sure, but they were willing to bet on that possibility, especially considering his linguistic capabilities. You couldn’t pick up old English without being able to read first

_Could you?_

“It actually might be a good thing that you found that, V. I’ll see if I can read any of it.” Trish said with a nod as she glanced over at Magnolia, waiting for her to hand her the book. She was surprised when the botanist shook her head, recoiling her hand with a disturbed look on her face.

“Sorry, dear. I wish I could, but this book is… challenging to read to say the least. It seems to have some sort of hex on it that keeps it from being read by an inexperienced reader. Simply mispronouncing something by accident could have nasty consequences.” Magnolia placed the book down on the bedside table, stepping away from it as if it contained a strain of some sort of infectious, flesh eating disease.” I’m working on a solution, however. Give me some time. I’d hate to see you hurt, or worse. You seem like a nice girl.”

Trish had to actually remind herself that Magnolia was probably older than her for a moment, simply folding her arms around her waist loosely and nodding in agreement. The blond devil had seen such cursed books before in her line of work, and she’d seen what happened when amateurs ventured beyond their realm of expertise. Sometimes the best way to seal your own doom was to meddle with magical artifacts that you had no business going anywhere in the vicinity of in the first place, and a cursed book that had been in the possession of a powerful cultist who had served a one of the most volatile demon princes certainly qualified as far as she was concerned. All she could do was hope that Magnolia’s lead panned out and go from there, but she wasn’t used to feeling so utterly useless. While it was true that she might have cracked the code in regards to the cult, that didn’t change the fact that she still felt the need to do something more substantial. It wasn’t in her nature to simply sit and wait for others to do things that she could do herself, but the problem was that she had no idea where to start.

“If we cannot read the book, and V cannot travel, then what do you propose we do in the meantime?” Vergil said, somewhat miffed but concealing it relatively well. He didn’t like all this sitting around and doing nothing while their enemies gained power and numbers, possibly preparing themselves for a retaliatory attack. But if they couldn’t leave town, and they couldn’t read the book, Vergil would have to find something to do with his time to keep himself from falling back on his old, self destructive habits.

Magnolia shrugged her head ambiguous. “I wish I possessed a satisfactory answer to that question, Vergil. For now, all I can tell you is that you should probably keep an eye on that conduit, and that V need to take the proper time to rest and recover from his injuries. I don’t think I need to explain that it can talk quite a long time to recover from these sorts of wounds, even after they have healed, and adjusting to new abilities is much the same as that. Pushing him too far will only make things worse in the long run.”

Dante nodded and turned towards the door, intent on leaving the room to go and do other things. If that was all that could be done for the moment, then he would have to work with it. He’d done more with less in the past. All he could hope for was the best while preparing for the worst. It was the same as it had always been, just with a different threat that he knew considerably less about. Perhaps the best course of action was to study their enemy and learn everything they could in the interim. “Seems about right. I’m going to head back to the office. Morrison should be around sometime soon with another job for me to do that won’t make me any money.”

Vergil spared his twin brother a glance, half agreeing and half wondering how he could possibly be doing work for this middleman and not be making anything. Was he withholding payment? Did he owe him in some way. He had been wanting to look into Dante’s financial reports for some time now. One could only hope they were not anything like the state of his kitchen utensils, because if they were, he’d have his work cut out for him. How his brother had survived this long without him around to micromanage things was beyond him and, frankly, he found himself morbidly impressed when it came to this aspect of his twin brother’s fortitude. He’d killed countless demon cockroaches that were less resilient than Dante, and none of them had managed to dig themselves as far into a hole as his hapless younger twin had. It was astounding to say the least how different they were from one another in that regard.

“Since he is awake, I will accompany you. I shall return later.” Vergil said as he turned towards his oldest son, giving him a calm look as if to run this decision by him. He wasn’t looking for approval, but he was expecting recognition in regards to his spoken statement. V nodded slightly, sitting up to watch the trio leave the room. Dante waived over his shoulder as Trish said her goodbyes, dashing out of the room behind them. 

As soon as they left, Magnolia let out a pained sigh, turning her attention back towards V. He slumped over slightly, debating the merits of simply going back to bed for the time being. There was a certain level of discomfort that he operated at at all times, but this surpassed that threshold by a staggering degree. It was as if something had sucked all the energy out of his body and replaced blood with molasses. He simply felt… dreary and slow, as if he were encompassed in a fog that he couldn’t cut through. But he was sure that with time he would overcome it like he always did. Simply laying down and accepting his fate wasn’t something he was accustomed to, and he had no plans of doing so anytime soon.

“How are you fairing, love? You seem tired. Incredible considering how long you’ve been asleep.” Magnolia said with a soft smile. Seeing him awake put her heart at ease. It was her sincere hope to never see him hurt in the way that he had been when he’d arrived at her door a few nights prior. She’d left her clan years ago to _avoid_ the type of senseless bloodshed she’s witnessed that day. To see someone so young with such talent and potential mortally wounded with nowhere else to turn for help… it made her fearful for the day that she knew she would no longer be able to assist her companions and sad for anyone else in his situation with no one like her in their lives. It was a harsh world that they lived in, and it was her life’s work to try and nullify that suffering, even if only by a small margin. She’d grown quite fond of both Nero and V, so keeping an eye on them both seemed like a good idea. After all, their father was nothing but trouble.

To be fair, that was part of why she was friends with Vergil in the first place… but still.

V stretched his back slightly, moaning in a mixture of discomfort and relief as his back popped, relieving the pressure that he felt in his body. It was pleasant in the same way that scratching a bruise might be, but only for a moment. “I’ll survive, I suppose. Thank you for asking. I appreciate your compassion.”

She smiled brightly, resisting the urge to fluff his hair like an especially naughty puppy. Magnolia sometimes had to remind herself that he didn’t enjoy being touched by other people. If only she’d been around when he was a child to show him the care and attention he clearly lacked. She knew what a survivor of a miserable childhood looked like, and she didn’t need to hear more about what he’d been through to read the signs. Part of her loathed the fact that she couldn’t do more to help him in that regard. The past could be an especially painful place. “I think I might head into the kitchen and bake something. Care for some tea?”

A pleasantly surprised look passed over the young summoner’s face as he nodded in agreement, turning towards the edge of the bed. “Better yet, I think I shall join you. My only other option is to sit here and go back to sleep, and I’m quite sure I’ve done enough of that, at least for the next few hours.”

There was a part of her that wanted to protest him standing up, but she knew that he needed to. There was no use in him laying there and locking up when he could be helping her out. Yes, she would help him by allowing him to help her and she would keep an eye on him while doing so. And in return, she would get to see if he was any good at baking. The afternoon was looking more interesting after all!

“Very well then, love. Follow me. And try not to lose your footing on the way. I can’t imagine that sleeping for nearly three days has improved your center of balance.”

He stopped dead in his tracks and balanced.

_Three days?_

For heaven’s sake…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have two things to say. One, this is the first chapter I’ve written on my new PC! I think I’m in love with this mechanical keyboard! I’ve never used one before, but omg, the sound is satisfying! Oh, and two. I just realized that V has yet to copiously quote William Blake. I need to get on that. Maybe he just hasn’t been in the right headspace! I have some fun stuff planned for the next chapter. Sorry if this one was slow. Writing the dialogue chapters is super fun for me! See you all on Wednesday!


	32. Chapter Thirty Two: Rememberance

Chapter Thirty Two: Remembrance

Note: I just wanted to take a moment to say OMFG this fic now has a word count of 100K and over thirty chapters long, and people are still engaged and enjoying it! I never thought I’d see the day something like this would happen. Thank you all so much! I hope the pacing hasn’t been too painful. You're all so wonderful, and I feel so lucky!

(-~-)

The dreary weather didn’t improve during their trip back to the Office, no one present taking the fact that Nico was in Fortuna into account. It wasn’t the first time that any of them had walked long distances, not by a long-shot. But the healthy downpour they were not being subjected to makes things somewhat miserable, at least for Dante and Trish. In all honesty, Vergil didn’t mind the rain. Although he was far from the sort of person who would go stand outside in the rain, the eldest Son of Sparda found it somewhat refreshing to be soaked in cool water. 

During his extended stay in the underworld, he had been unable to enjoy such a phenomenon, partially because demons were hunting him with the intent of murdering him for the crime of being born Sparda’s eldest son, and because the rain in the underworld was astoundingly acidic. Taking cover during any storms was an essential part of not being melted, and hell help you if you were crazy enough to drink it.

It was funny how he had learned to take such simple things for granted during his time in the underworld. Although it was understandable when compared to the things that he had to grapple with during his time there, he still couldn’t help but consider things like that when his mind was allowed to wander. At this point in his life, the Darkslayer had spent as much time in the underworld as he had in the mortal realm, and none of that time with his family. That fact was not lost on him, the duality somewhat jarring when he contemplated it. He was sure that he could do better, but actually doing so was shockingly difficult, at least when it came to figuring out where to start.

Vergil was certain that he needed a hobby, or he was going to go gradually insane from culture shock. He was making a valiant effort towards re-assimilating himself into human society, but there was only so much he could accomplish on his own when he’d never really considered himself a part of that society in the first place. Magnolia’s family was the closest to a launching point that he could reference, but they were far from a normal human family themselves. Although mortal, calling them an average family would be akin to calling his prior relationships with other people healthy and well adjusted, and Vergil didn’t like to consider himself a liar. For now, he was content with the concept of trying to find something less toxic to occupy his time with until V was capable of traveling so that they could meet this order that Dante had mentioned before. And until such a time came to pass, he was going to keep the dagger with him. If any member of the cult were still alive, the last thing he was going to do was make things easier for them. If they wanted the knife, or either of his children, they were going to have to go through him.

Practically the instant that they arrived back at the office, Dante flopped down on the couch, eager to take a long overdue nap. Vergil wasn’t entirely surprised, but wasn’t exactly thrilled that his least favorite person was still hanging around. He’d come to terms with the fact that he was going to have to deal with her from here on out, but still had no idea how he was going to make himself do that. Hate wasn’t exactly the proper word for how he felt towards her? Perhaps contempt. But he couldn’t make himself associate his mother with hate, at least towards her, even if he did realize that Trish wasn’t in fact his mother. That being said, he still felt the need to both be around her, and see her cease to exist.

What a headache this whole situation was for him.

Things would have been so much less painful and conflicting for him if he’d been done with his “relationship” with her back on Malet island. Up until recently when she’d ventured to the Qliphoth to do battle against him. And even then, he’s tried to repurposed her rather than just kill her, be that a jab at his twin or an attempt to not have to kill her, even though he wasn’t entirely sure. It was just something he’d decided to do at the time. Vergil cringed slightly at the thought of what he’d done. Sparing his opponent only to corrupt their physical form and force them to serve him as his unwilling servant. How very Mundus of him…

A part of him couldn’t help but acknowledge that he’d done the very thing to her that he was angry at her for helping do to him, and even then, her master had done that, not her. No, Trish’s only crime against him was serving the demon who had been responsible for basically every bad thing that he’d ever gone through, and looking too much like his deceased mother. Physically, she’d never done anything to him, but mentally, simply being around her took a certain mental toll on him. He pondered the concept of whether or not his younger twin had any idea what had transpired between them for a moment, somehow sure that it wouldn’t change anything regardless. Dante took people as they were. It was simply how he wasn. How much trouble had that caused him over the years, especially after he’d died? It seemed that they had ended up in the same place, despite the fact that they fell on totally different ends of the same spectrum; two sides of the same coin. There was a certain ironic duality to their twinship that was both punishingly ironic, and painfully sad and, although Vergil was far from the hopeful sort, he couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like for the both of them if that hadn’t happened. 

Were cursed bloodlines an actual thing? Because if so, their entire family seemed to have fallen victim to one. The devil slayer in blue didn’t doubt for a second that Mundus would try and curse them all. He was astoundingly petty, almost to a comical degree. But nothing involving the former Prince of Darkness was exactly funny to him, aside from the idea of him actually being dead. He wasn’t holding his breath in that regard, however. Mundus was…  _ durable _ to say the least. But he hoped for the sake of Nero and V that he either was truly gone forever, or that he never found out about either of them. They didn’t deserve to inherit that nightmare.

“Seriously, Vergil. Do you ever sleep? You’ve been awake for, what, like three days?” Dante said passively from the couch as he yawned, stretching as he settled into his couch. This was going to be a good nap. He could just tell. ”Just… sit down and read a book or something. I don’t know. Anything but pacing around, drivin’ yourself crazy. You're pretty close already.”

In all honesty, Vergil was tempted to laugh at that statement, even if only a little. How ironic that Dante thought that he was close to insanity. The eldest Son of Sparda was almost certain that he had reached that point a lifetime ago. At times, he was sure that the only thing holding him together was the refusal to die and give his enemies want they wanted, and various forms of pure spite. But at least now curiosity towards how his relationships with his two young sons would pan out was a factor, and a somewhat positive one at that. Vergil liked to think that things between them were improving since Nero hadn’t tried to stab him that week, and V wasn’t crawling out of his own skin in an attempt to get away from him. As far as he was concerned, that was progress. In what direction, he wasn’t sure. But it was something, and he could work with that.

“Bold of you to assume I’m not already insane, Dante. And for your information, I’m not tired. Simply bored.” Vergil huffed slightly, uncrossing his arms to gesture towards the rest of the room.” You have nothing of interest to do in this office, and I’m tempted to go elsewhere if only to stave off my own mental decay.”

Much to his surprise, Dante laughed at that statement. He failed to see what was so entertaining about that statement, but also realized that he wasn’t eager to get into a fight over it at this point in town. He simply didn’t care that much. His mind was elsewhere. Being laughed at was something he was used to. Most of Mundus’s court had made doing so into a sort of sporting event, constantly looking down on him and taking any opportunity that they could to ridicule him and downplay any of his actions. He’d never actually cared about what they thought, more concerned with simply surviving his situation. But, at some point he’d come to the conclusion that he would get his revenge on them if he ever had the opportunity if only on principle. And he had done so in his role as the Usurper King, making quick work of the vast majority of them. The idea that the last thing many of them had even realized was that they were being slain by someone they thought so little of was almost enough to make him smile. Almost.

“I fail to see what you find so  _ entertaining _ about this.” Vergil said, venturing over to Dante’s desk to see if he had anything new to read. He knew that he didn’t, but searching fruitlessly was still something to do. And at this point, he didn’t care to care.

The youngest Son of Sparda shook his head, his eyes now closed. He could just tell that Vergil was bored out of his mind, and that was the funniest thing he’d seen in a long time. Vergil was just so dramatic about it, and he always had been. Some things never changed it seemed, and something about that was reassuring to him. He never liked to believe that his brother had been completely consumed by his negative experiences in life, and seeing even the smallest bits and pieces of who he had once been poke through the surface put him in a good move. At times, he missed who his twin had once been so much that it physically hurt him, but the small things like this conversation bought him some measure of peace. He cherished that.

“It’s funny because you used to have hobbies, but now you're just boring, Vergil.” Dante said, trying not to burst into hysterical laughter.” Like, you used to read books, and listen to music, bail on our plans to go do who knows what, and  _ do stuff _ , but now you don’t even think about the fact that you can just go somewhere else and do, well, literally anything else. When did that happen?”

Out of reflex, Vergil opened his mouth to retort and raised his hand to do… something, but then his brain ceased to function, and he lowered his arm again, taking in the truth behind his twin’s words. Dante was… right? When and how had this happened? Had his actions leading up to this point truly robbed him of all of his individual pursuits and interests to the point where all he could do was sit in this office and be bored until something worth wild occurred and stole his boredom from him? No, that simply couldn’t be. The child he’d once been would probably weep openly at how stationery and indevorless he’d become. There was simply no way that he was going to sit in this office and do nothing until death came for him, or he took his own life from a lack of mental stimulation. No, he was going to get a hobby, and there was nothing that his twin and his lackluster personal life could do to stop him. The town they lived in was large and populous. There had to be something entertaining to do in this hellhole. After all, there was no way he was going to figure out how the TV worked and pick a favorite show or something. Never.

“Foolishness, Dante. There has to be a museum or library around here somewhere, and when I find out where, I’m going to do… something.” Vergil said, not entirely sure what he intended to convey in that statement. This was what he got for trying to explain himself to his younger twin brother. His goals were beyond his understanding.

Dante shrugged, gesturing towards the phone and then to the door. “Sure thing, brother. While you're at it, why don’t you take Nero with you? Fortuna is a pretty boring place. Almost as boring as you are. Probably how you ended up there in the first place. Anyway, he’s probably into that kinda stuff, too. Might actually make things fun if he tags along.”

Vergil gave his brother a sideways look, unsure of what to say. The temptation to impale him was strong, but he enjoyed sitting on that couch, and didn’t feel like cleaning it. It was difficult to remove blood stains from leather, and there was no way that Dante was going to do so himself. As from what he could tell, his twin couldn’t exactly afford to replace it. Then again, he could afford to keep mocking him if he wanted to live, either. Cause and causality. Nothing more, nothing less. That being said, he was tempted to do just that. In spite of his brother’s backhanded suggestion and the implications behind it, spending some meaningful time alone with Nero didn’t seem like a bad idea. Perhaps calling him and inviting him out for the remainder of the day would help them get along better? Either way, he wasn’t going to tell Dante what he planned to do. There was no way he could allow him to experience that level of satisfaction.

With a sideways glance and a few muttered curses in barely perceivable English, Vergil left the building, nearly breaking the door handle as he attempted to force the door to slam shut in spite of the fact that it possessed an anti-slam mechanism. It bent to his will, but the odds of it actually working correctly after that were few and far between. Was it time to purchase another door already?

Stifling a giggle, Trish ascended the stairs to join Dante. She’d been watching their exchange from the balcony above the main office, entirely sure that Vergil had no idea how badly he’d just been played. It seems that Dante’s reverse psychology knew no bounds. While it was rare that he ever got to pull a stunt like that, Trish had seen him do so before on one occasion or another, and it was never any less funny. No one ever seemed to consider that Dante was capable of that level of sly bastardy, and it was highly entertaining to see someone as intelligent as Vergil fall for such a blatant case of backwards manipulation.

“Dante, you know he’s going to kill you when he realizes that you did that, right?” Trish said with a small laugh as she headed down the stairs. She shook her head softly and plopped down on the arm of the couch, wondering how long it would take before she walked in on her longtime friend being impaled on the end of Yamato’s blade.

The devil slayer in red smirked for a moment, sitting up and heading over towards the desk. Trish gave him a sideways look as he went. Wasn’t he about to take a nap? “Wait a second, where are you going? I thought you were…”

A sudden wave of realization hit Trish as Dante kicked his feet up on the desk, grabbing a magazine. Dante truly was sneaker than she gave him credit for being, wasn’t he? 

“Oh, I’m not tired. Vergil just isn’t in the habit of waking me up. That’s more my kinda thing.” He turned through the pages of the well used periodical, clearly disinterested.” He really needs to get out more. And if he can’t drive me nuts, what else is going to do around here? Learn how the TV works? That’s not gonna happen.”   


He paused suddenly, bursting into hysterical laughter as he leaned forward, shaking his head and tossing the magazine to the side. Trish folded her arms and shook her head, somewhat amused by the very sight of Dante laughing so hard. It wasn’t every day that something like that happened. “What’s so funny, Dante?”   


The legendary devil hunter leaned back in the chair, trying his hardest to stop laughing long enough to give her a suitable answer. How long had it been since he’d laughed like that? Too long, that was for sure. “Oh, it’s just that… Vergil is so bad at using modern stuff. He has no idea how the TV works! Took him like ten minutes to figure out how to unplug it!” The laughter that he’s been holding at bay broke through the cracks in his demeanor, flooding the room as he tried uselessly to stop cracking up again as he realized that Trish didn’t get it.” It’s gonna be  _ hilarious  _ when he finally finds out about the internet! He probably has no idea how headphones even work! The most modern thing he’s probably touched since he’s been back is the jukebox!”

Moments later, the hilarity of that statement kicked in and Trish giggled to herself, gradually graduating into full laughter as she began to fully comprehend and picture how funny that was. What a tragedy! Yes, the internet had been invented long before Vergil had gone to the underworld, but that still didn’t mean he knew what it was! His working age was so much older than his physical age. Holy hell! 

As the two of them continued to laugh at how thoroughly insane and sadly unbelievable that was, the sound of the phone ringing filled the room and interrupted them. Trish shook her head, clearing her throat slightly and she choked back another laugh. Dante, however, was not so lucky. He had fallen into a full on laughing fit, and there was no hope of saving him. She took the phone off of the receiver, shushing him uselessly.

“Devil May Cry. How can we...” She trailed off slightly, the laughter stopping. She tapped Dante on the shoulder, a more serious look on her face. The youngest Son of Sparda took a few deep breaths and shook off the remainder of his laughter, studying the troubled look on Trish’s face. “What is it?”

The blond demon hunter glanced over at him before thanking the person she was talking to and hanging up the phone. She then turned to Dante, sighing slightly. “It’s Morrison. He had a customer with the password. Looks like you have business to attend to tomorrow.”

An incredulous look crossed Dante’s face as he took in the implications of what she’d just said to him. A customer with the password? How long had it been since he’d had one of those? V had been the last person in over a year who’d even come close to pulling that card. What could this be about, and why now? As he sighed and reached for the phone, Dante shook his head slightly and furrowed his brow. One thing was for certain. Morrison was going to have his work cut out for him explaining this one.

He needed a pizza. Maybe even a strawberry sundae. This had been one hell of a week.

(-~-)

In the ten years that I’ve been writing Devil May Cry fan fiction, this is the first time I’ve ever used the “customer with the password” thing. I have no idea how I’ve managed to wait this long, but here we are! Let the BS begin! Can’t wait to see you all on Friday!


	33. Chapter Thirty Three: Leisure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Wow current events really put me behind on my schedule this week! The anxiety is real, folks! I’ll be okay though. Maybe. Also, I found out that I could actually listen to the DMC5 soundtrack through one of the streaming services and IT IS A BOP. I never realized how good some of that music is! I was too busy trying to achieve Smokin’ Sexy Style! Totally gonna be using that to write to from now on. And also, l now officially consider listening to Legacy as a form of self harm because the feels are too real!

Chapter Thirty Three: Leisure

(-~-)

In all truthfulness, the botanist couldn’t remember the last time that she’d spent so much time around other people that she held dear, her relationships with the rest of her family having been on thin ice for nearly two decades now. Conforming to tradition at all costs was encouraged in her little corner of the world, and as such, deviating from her family’s wishes in the way that she had wasn’t smiled upon. But then again, she had never been one to do what other people thought was right, only truly able to trust her own judgement at the end of the day.

But that didn’t mean she wasn’t terribly lonely. Perhaps the crushing silence was what had made her and Vergil such fast friends back in their youth, even if their idea of friendship was a bit unconventional. Most casual passers by would probably assume that they couldn’t stand one another, but anyone who spent any meaningful time around them could tell that, at the end of the day, they had one another’s backs no matter what, no questions asked. It could be tenuous at times, especially when Vergil showed up at her door after two decades to ask her to bend the laws of creation a little to help reclaim a wayward soul, but then then that just meant that even after all of this time, she was still one of the people he knew he could fall back on. There was a part of Magnolia that was actually flattered by that idea. He was legendarily difficult to gain the favor of, and the fact that he had still been able to trust her after so long was a testament to how well they got along, at least on most days.

Magnolia took a moment to collect her thoughts as she took a peak at the skillet brownie that she and V had been working on for the past hour or so. In all honesty, she got the impression that V wasn’t accustomed to spending this much time in close proximity to others. From what she’d come to understand about him, he was more or less solitary, and that was something that she was able to relate to, albeit not due to her own preference. She was far from an extrovert, but one thing she could tell was that something had made both of them decide to just avoid people as a whole at some point. And she had a feeling that his reasons were deeply personal. Which was why she’d been so pleasantly surprised when he’d asked to join her in the kitchen. Be it a result of boredom, or out of a desire to not be alone, she couldn’t tell, and she was not going to ask. At the end of the day, she didn’t really care. She was just happy to see that both V and Vergil were starting to come out of their shells a little. It seemed that everyone in the Sparda family had unfortunate baggage, and she intended to do anything she could do to help them. She didn’t want to see another family end up like she had with hers.

“... I can get that for you.” V said almost offhandedly as he leaned against the window in her kitchen. He was so quiet that she nearly forgot he was there. In that way, he and his father were very much alike. They both had a tendency to blend into the background in a domestic setting, quietly combing through their thoughts or simply day dreaming. She couldn’t be sure. What she was sure of was the fact that there was a key difference between the two white haired descendants of the Dark Knight Sparda. While they were both quiet, V lacked the -was bitterness the right word?- that his father possessed. Perhaps despair? While Vergil was more brooding and dejected, constantly lost in what had to be less than healthy thoughts, V was just… solemn in an almost despondent sort of way as though he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Both of them had been through entirely too much in proportion to the time they’d lived, and it showed. The question was where did they both go from there? Perhaps they could meet in the middle and their pain would cancel each other out in some sort of collision of mindsets? Wherever they both went from here, she could only hope that it was better than where they'd been prior to this, physically and mentally.

“Oh, don’t trouble yourself dear! You're barely staying on your feet as it is. I’ve got this.” Magnolia said with a pleasant smile as she removed the pan from the oven. V smirked slightly at the comment, painfully aware of how true that was. Due to the lingering weariness he was experiencing, his balance wasn’t the greatest at that given moment. He was fine until he attempted to either bend over or lean downwards. Something about the shift in stance sent all the blood rushing to his brain. But aside from that unfortunate fact, he actually felt just fine, and was sure that by the next morning or so, he’d more than likely be back to normal. Or, at least what he considered normal. 

In all honesty, he was genuinely tired most of the time, but not in the same sort of way that he was now. It was more of a case of being low energy as opposed to being sleepy. Maybe he needed to move to a less dreary climate?

Ah yes, moving. 

How had he forgotten so quickly?

“While we were away, I had ample time to consider your previous offer, Magnolia.” V said as he watched her search for a knife. Surely she wasn’t actually going to try and eat that so soon? Unless her mouth had a better coating in it than that very hot cast iron pan, she was going to burn every inch of her mouth. But then again, that was her prerogative, and he wasn’t in the habit of reminding a grown woman what her limitations were.

She glanced over at him as she produced a knife and an odd shaped metal spatula that was reminiscent of a large nail file. She then began cutting segments off of the large brownie and used the second utensil to pick up two of the sections and place them into a plate, placing them on the tray next to the tea they’d fixed. She then gestured for V to follow her, picking up the tray and heading into the living room.

It had genuinely never occurred to V that she didn’t own a TV until now, the part devil taking a moment to consider the fact that she seemed to have a plethora of books but never touched digital media. In fact, she even owned a record player. It was actually interesting to him how much their tastes seemed to be in sync with one another. While he wasn’t exactly a Luddite, he tended to lean more towards more vintage solutions for things, simply enjoying their overall style and form factor. But he couldn’t say that he was very interested in watching TV, either. In fact, he couldn’t name a single show that had come on in the past… well, ever really. He honestly didn’t care.

As soon as they both sat down, a perplexed look crossed Magnolia’s face as if something seemingly just occurred to her. She practically leapt up and into the kitchen, returning a few moments later with two small glass dishes filled with a scoop each of vanilla ice cream. V resisted the urge to laugh slightly at the sight, settling instead to just smirk and be quietly entertained by the ridiculousness of the situation at hand. As foregn of a concept as it was to him, he was relatively sure that he actually enjoyed spending time with Magnolia. Her quirky yet lovable personality was comforting in a way that he found unfamiliar but welcome, almost as if he’d subconsciously been looking for something like this for a while but had never known it.

“How in the world did I manage to forget this.” She said, placing the glasses down on the tray. The botanist shook her head as if she were deeply insulted by her own actions, her entire face pinched into a disapproving squint as she scooped the frozen treat onto her brownie.” What kind of heartless monster bakes a giant brownie and then eats it dry?! Simply unheard of! I ought to be burned at the stake for the wicked witch that I am.”

At that V couldn't’ help but snicker a little. He was positive that she was more upset about this than she had been to see the amount of blood he’d tracked all over her pristine house just a few short days ago. It was pure poppycock, and he loved it. “Yes, it seems you're far overdue for a reckoning of some kind. Sins of that magnitude can’t simply be ignored.”

Magnolia raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by his statement. “Oh, so the young dearie does possess a sense of humor after all! Good thing, too. I was starting to worry!” She smiled and failed in her attempt to hold back a heartfelt laugh, shaking her head slightly as she did so.” In other news, what did you decide to do?”   
V leaned back slightly, exhaling before remembering that he could probably actually eat the brownie now. A soft smile briefly spread across his face as he looked at Magnolia, trying his best to make eye contact but then flaking out at the very last second.

“... I’ve decided to take you up on that offer.”

(-~-)

There were brief moments in the lives of every living being when they committed to a plan of action, and then immediately regretted their decisions when they came to grips with the outcome. Fleeting things that, in most instances, had far reaching consequences that even the most powerful of beings were powerless to do anything about. But thankfully, this was one of those rare instances in which the consequences were largely inopportune, but also insignificant, aside from the monumental and disproportionate amount of over-dramatic misery that they resulted in. 

In all honesty, there was no sufficient answer as to why Vergil had decided that going to a museum would be a riveting occasion. Although intelligent and well versed, Vergil didn’t really care that much for human history, aside from what he already knew. Learning from the past wasn’t one of his strong suites, but lingering in the past was, both metaphorically and literally. Somehow, some way, he’d just ended up in this place with no hope of understanding why. Aside from the fact that he’d talked himself into this mess, and didn’t really feel like being there any longer, Vergil lacked a sufficient excuse as to why he should leave, for both himself and his youngest son. 

On an impulse, Vergil had attempted to contact Nero via a phone booth near a frankly disgusting nightclub that sat just a block or so from Dante’s office before venturing to Fortuna to seek out his wayward son. The last time that he’d failed to answer the phone he’d been at Fortuna Castle with V, and the two of them had nearly gotten themselves killed. It was something that the two of them were proficient at when left unattended for long periods of time. But then again, getting several layers deep into an ocean of issues was something that ran in their family. Perhaps they were simply continuing the tradition. Regardless, the younger man had agreed to come with him, albeit reluctantly as he had other more interesting things to do like  _ literally anything else other than going to a museum on a weekday. _

A quick glance over at the oversized clock that adorned the third story of the museum wall confirmed the Darkslayer’s suspicion: there was still another hour until the establishment closed. Re-adjusting to the flow of time in the human world was proving to be an ongoing task, but despite the fact that it flowed much quicker than many places he’d occupied in the Underworld, the Darkslayer couldn’t help but feel as though time was standing still or going incredibly slow. He assumed that he was late to everything, only to find out that he was actually early, and it was starting to become taxing. 

For a brief moment, he considered mentioning this to Magnolia in an effort to try and figure out what was causing this lingering sensation of temporal displacement before deciding against the idea. He didn’t feel like dealing with that at the moment. It was probably best that he do one thing at a time and not dwell on it. His current guess was that his lack of action was what had caused such a strange phenomenon to occur. Being much more accustomed to an active and high octane lifestyle as opposed to a sedentary one, Vergil was almost positive that he simply didn’t know how to relax. What a strange problem that was to have.

“Okay, so here me out.” Nero said casually as he made his way over to Vergil, letting out a small yawn as he closed the distance between them.” This place is super boring, and I can feel myself ageing literally every second we spend here. Either this place has a spell over it, or it’s just the world’s boring museum. I don’t care either way. Your call, but I think we should leave and go literally anywhere else.”

Vergil considered Nero’s statement for a moment before giving a single nod. He agreed, this place was almost soul crushingly dull. While museums were not exactly the most lively of places to begin with, for a place to be so full of people and still be so silent was just unsettling. And that was before the approaching storm gave the entire place an extra gloomy ambience. At this point, he was inclined to agree with his youngest son. There was no compelling reason to linger in this giant, echo filled building any longer. If Vergil desired an empty space to occupy, there were plenty of options that didn’t test his sanity in such an egregious manner. After all, the city was practically overflowing with places to see. Staying where they were any longer was simply illogical, all things considered.

“I’m inclined to agree with you. I didn’t leave the Underworld just to continue to linger in hell.” Vergil glanced over at the door as Nero sighed in relief and headed towards it, not needing to hear anything further. Neither of them needed the other to spell it out for them. How in the world had Vergil even managed to locate such a desolate place?

Was he actually boring like Dante had said?

Absolutely not. Dante wasn’t allowed to be correct. There was simply no way!

The pair left the building and simply walked a ways up the road, no particular destination in mind. As long as they were not inside of the building, then they were fine. Vergil shook his head slightly at the ridiculousness of the situation they had ended up in, the almost grim hilarity of it not lost on him. Part of him wondered if the place might actually be cursed or under some kind of spell like Nero had joked. It was possible.

“Funny thing is that I actually like museums. Sometimes. It depends.” Nero said as they walked along in the direction of who knew what. He didn’t really care. At least he was out doing something and not at home. Kyrie and Nico were doing something at the orphanage with the kids, so he’d just been hanging out doing nothing of particular note. He was kind of surprised that Vergil had bothered to ask him over in the first place. From what he could tell, his father didn’t tend to like to hang out with other people, least of all in public. What had gotten into him?

Vergil listened to Nero, somewhat surprised to hear him admit that he was interested in that sort of thing. While Dante had made a passing joke about it before he’d left, the idea of it actually being true was somewhat surprising to him. It wasn’t so much the fact that devil slayer in blue was surprised that his brother might know more about Nero than he did. That was almost certainly true, regardless of whether Vergil liked it or not. No, he was simply surprised that Nero was interested in things like museums. The younger devil hunter didn’t come off to him as the sort to hang around those sorts of places.

“Is that so? I… wasn’t aware that you had an interest in such things.” Vergil raised an eyebrow slightly, genuinely impressed with this revelation. Although it was a small thing, it was something they had in common, and he derived some level of reassurance from the idea that he and his younger son were not so different after all. Perhaps if he made more of an effort to speak with him sooner, he would have figured this out already. There was a part of him that felt as though he hadn’t given Nero the time that he deserved, and he desired to change that. He just wasn’t entirely sure how to go about doing so just yet.

Nero nodded, shrugging slightly as they continued up the street.” Yea, I like that kinda stuff sometimes. Even read that whole damn book after you gave it to me to keep an eye on. What the hell is it with you two and books?” Nero trailed off towards the end, something clearly occurring to him.” … You said that V was awake. So what happens now? What’s the plan?”

Vergil’s lack of diction belied his vested interest in the conversation they were having. For once, they were actually getting somewhere. It was a refreshing change of pace between them, especially when he took into account the fact that Nero had barely been able to stand in the same room as him when he’d first returned. It seemed that he was gradually warming up to the idea of being around him, but he couldn’t quite place what he had done to help facilitate this? Had it been the incident at the castle? Perhaps when he’d saved the two of them during their tragically short vacation? Did it have something to do with V or Dante? There were certainly several possibilities, but he didn’t honestly care at the moment. The fact that the two of them were on speaking terms at all was enough for him, at least for the time being.

“You actually read?” Vergil paused for a moment, mentally kicking himself when he saw the slightly irritated look on Nero’s face. He vaguely remembered V telling him something about the way he tended to phrase things at some point during their trip, and he was starting to comprehend what he’d meant by that. He needed to find a way to make that insult less insulting.” I’m fully aware of the fact that you are not illiterate. That isn’t what I intended to convey in that statement. I’ve just never seen you actually  _ read _ anything.”   


The youngest of the devil hunters shrugged nebulously, less irate now than he had been a moment prior.” That’s probably because you never come over and visit or anything. I told you that you could eat dinner with us. That wasn’t a one time thing.” Nero closed his eyes for a moment as if irked by the fact that he was having to say this for a third time. He’d never met anyone this adverse to spending time with their own family before. It was as baffling as it was disheartening, and he really was trying his best.” You’d probably have to fight V for all the extra food though. He eats a  _ staggering _ amount of food. It’s genuinely shocking. I have no idea where he put it all.”

It was Vergil’s turn to scoff slightly as the mental image of Nero being eaten out of house and home by literally everyone he lived with aside from his tiny girlfriend passed through his mind. Somehow he wasn’t shocked that V could eat his body weight in food every day if given the opportunity. He’d do the same thing if he lived with that friendly little woman. Her cooking was exquisite, and she did tend to make excessive amounts of it from what he could tell. That, and their inhuman appetites were not easily tamed. Dante’s frankly appalling relationship with pizza was a perfect example of this phenomenon.

He desperately needed his twin to start a love affair with some other type of food…

“... Then perhaps I will drop by as I did today more often.” The Darkslayer noted that Nero seemed almost relieved to hear this. Had he genuinely just wanted him to do so in the first place? Was that part of the tension between them? The idea that such a little thing could mean so much to him was a bit of an eye opener as far as Vergil was concerned, and he had no way of reconciling the fact that he’d overlooked this.

A small smile dared to make itself known as they crossed an intersection, still not paying much attention to their destination. At this point, they were purely on this trip for the conversation, and that was something that Vergil could see himself getting used to. He’d come to realize that talking to both of his sons made him slightly less sick than it did when he was forced to deal with everyone else, possibly because he generally chose to do so of his own accord.

“Okay then. That’s good. So where are we going? Because I’m pretty sure we're lost.” The young demon hunter glanced around them, noticing for the first time that he didn’t actually recognize any of the buildings around him. That didn’t really bother him, all things considered, but he couldn’t help but notice that they were quite a ways from where they'd started out.

For a moment, Vergil fell silent. He considered all the possible options available to him in regards to what he considered acceptable answers to that question. This had been an eye opening experience for him in the grand scheme of things. Perhaps he’d been too quick to write Nero off as uninterested in pursuing any sort of meaningful relationship with him, opting to talk to V as he assumed that they had more in common with one another than either of them did with Nero. Even if that had been the case, he still found it fascinating that his youngest son possessed a more intellectual side to him that he’d failed to notice in the past. While he hadn’t thought of Nero as unintelligent by any means, he’d never considered the fact that they might like the same things as one another. 

Now the concept of Yamato allowing Nero to wield it made much more sense to him. 

They might not be as dissimilar as he’d originally assumed. 

A part of him couldn’t help but wonder how his beloved blade would react to V if given the chance. He’d never seen Nero wield it, but considering the fact that it had bonded with him so thoroughly, Nero seemed to be relatively well versed with it. And as for V’s prospects, Vergil had the distinct feeling that he might actually be able to wield the blade, at least physically. That was, of course, if he didn’t swing it and then fall flat on his face. But the idea of what he might be capable of if given the opportunity was admittedly fascinating to him.

It was settled then. He would have to find some excuse to get V to try and use a devil arm once he was in better condition. For now, he needed to allow him to fully recover and actually build up some measure of strength. The cult seemed to be eradicated, and due to the time gap between the underworld and the human world, they had at least a few weeks before Belial could do anything, especially with the majority of his cult decimated. They still needed to visit this island that Dante had spoken of, but the urgent need to do so was suddenly less at the forefront than it had been previously. They would wait for at least a week or two and plan their next steps carefully, lest they spring a trap that they didn’t know was there. And in the meantime, Magnolia could worry over V, and Vergil could attempt to get to know his son a bit better.

The realization that he’d been briefly lost in thought suddenly hit Vergil as he stopped walking and took a moment to collect himself before speaking. Yes, he had the distinct feeling that he now knew where they should be headed.” You asked where we should go next.” Vergil watched Nero nod, clearly wishing for him to hurry up and get to the point. The sun was starting to fade below the horizon, and he was eager to get out of the light rain that coated them as they ventured up the murky streets.” … Is that invite for dinner still valid?”

Nero looked surprised for a moment before allowing a rare, genuine smile to briefly cross his face. He was surprised to see Vergil take him up on his offer so soon. It was a good thing that Kyrie always made extras. “What, you gonna make me ask you a fourth time? Sure, let's go. Since V;s not there right now, we might actually get to eat something!”

Vergil nodded and gestured towards the alley they were nearest to. He wasn’t keen on attracting unnecessary attention from the general public by drawing Yamato in full view of the now rightfully paranoid populace. At first glance, he could almost swear that it was the very one that he’d excited though when he’d returned to the human world with his younger twin brother just a month ago. Well, he’d been kicked, but that was neither here nor there, and he would never let Nero know that Dante had managed to get the drop on him.

As they entered the alley way and he drew his blade, Vergil couldn’t help but feel a strange feeling of contentment at the fact that he actually had somewhere to be for once. Perhaps this was something he could do more often if things went well. He swung the blade, making his signature mark in the air as a portal opened. The Darkslayer then gestured towards the opening that his blade had manifested as if to invite Nero to go ahead of him. The younger man nodded and stepped through, Vergil following closely behind him.

Perhaps the idea of belonging somewhere was something that he could get used to.

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it’s been a while since I wrote a chapter this long! I thought that considering current events, we could all use a little bit of hope in our lives. It’s a scary time, at least where I live. This toxic hellhole that I live in can’t get it together, but maybe the Sparda family can. I don’t know, maybe a few good moments between everyone is what I need to keep my anxiety down right now. This story is my emotional support project, and I hope it’s a safe place for all of you, too. Everyone is welcome here :D I won’t bring all that scary stuff into this. Take care everyone! I’ll see you next week. It’s gonna be interesting since I go back to work for the first time since the pandemic started on Wednesday at 4pm. I’ll try my hardest to get the chapter uploaded by then. Just gotta keep myself sane until after 8:30pm and hopefully I’ll be alright! Curse the holiday season. UG! Stay safe!


	34. Chapter Thirty Four: Homeostasis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: That moment when you wrote this chapter as a stand alone prologue back on April 8th, 2019 because it took literally a year to start this series, and my fic Sorting was the precursor to this! I suppose I should throw that into a series list of some sort. Anyway, I’m going to just rewrite some parts of it since they don’t quite line up with this story, and I can’t overlook them. That’s how massive plot holes happen. Feel free to check that one out if you’d like to see how this whole concept got started. It’s still one of my most popular fics. Like 800 reads on a one chapter fic. Just omg wow!

Chapter Thirty Four: Homeostasis  
  


(-~-)

Two weeks later…

As the end of august drew closer and closer with each passing moment, so too did the changing of the trees and the atmosphere around the city. What little grass covered the bare areas of the county began to turn slightly yellow, losing its once vivid green hue, and replacing itself, with a soft shade of yellowish brown that resembled mature wheat or straw more than anything else. The last of the summer heat was dissipating and a cold chill bit at anyone foolish enough to go out without some sort of long sleeve to protect them from the unusually early seasonal transition. It was normal for things to fluctuate slightly from year to year, but for the weather to undergo such a drastic change compared to the year before? Madness. But at the end of the day, the environment was going to do as it pleased, and fall coming about three weeks early wasn’t going to turn too many heads in a year where so many people genuinely thought that the world was about to end.

While opinion was divided as to whether or not celebrating Halloween was appropriate considering the sheer number of demonic attacks earlier that year, and the destruction of Redgrave City, no one seemed to make much of a fuss about the concept of decorating for the season. Stores and shops were already starting to hang autumn decorations, and seasonal treats were starting to hit shelves and shops alike. Despite the actual edibility of some of the offerings available, everyone had started to add pumpkin spice to everything because why not? The year had been literally hellish. At the end of the day, everyone needed something to look forward to, and at least the dreary weather that had refused to relent in the past month or so now had a valid reason to exist.

But while everyone else was adjusting to minute changes in the weather, and enjoying the colorful atmosphere, food, and decor that came with the rest of the season, V had additional matters to contend with. It had only been about five days since Magnolia had declared that V was finally in the proper condition to finally leave her watchful gaze, and for the first time in a very long time, V didn’t feel perpetually exhausted. While he’d never truly been energetic, his improved wellbeing and the prospect of transferring himself and his meager belongings into a more permanent dwelling was actually somewhat enthralling to him.

Or at least that had been the case before V had actually attempted to do so.

Despite the fact that the young summoner owned practically nothing, his insistence that he be allowed to move the majority of his belongings by himself had been his downfall, cursing him to an extended period of breathlessness and a general feeling of discomfort. There was a part of this situation that made him wonder how he’d managed to become this awful at physical activity, but then he remembered that he had basically no experience with such matters and decided to just go back to trying to stand up. 

_And failing miserably at it._

“This is why I told you to just let me move the boxes for you.” Nero said as he walked past, plopping down one of the final boxes next to the winded summoner. His humorous tone hid an understandable level of genuine concern as she caught sight of his out of breath sibling, berating himself for ever allowing V to carry all those boxes into the house by himself in the first place. Since Vergil wasn’t there to be the voice of reason in this particular situation, and V was too distracted to think that clearly, Nero was going to have to do.

V shrugged in defeat, a pleasant smirk spread across his face as he sat on the floor of his new living room, sprawled out across the space where the couch had presumably once been, and completely in the way of any meaningful progress that Nero was trying to achieve. He’d been in that spot for the last ten minutes, and despite the fact that his breathing and heart rate had leveled out some time ago, he simply couldn’t will himself to get up off of the floor. It was as though his limbs were glued down, and no amount of insistence from his cerebral cortex was going to change that fact. He’d simply lost the ability to get up and do anything, and part of him was okay with just staying there until Nero inevitably decided to just entomb him with his own boxes.

“And normally I would have allowed that, but it seems that a combination of overzealous mismanagement and hubristic foolishness have gotten the best of me.” V said quietly, managing to lift a single leg and nothing else. Good, that was progress. Now if he could just make the second leg obey him, he might be able to actually do something.” The fool who persists in his folly will become wise.”

Nero glanced over at him and shook his head for a moment, tempted to just offer to help him up. But he knew better than to try that. V wasn’t going to go for that at this particular juncture, and he knew it. The white haired demon slayer was simply too elated to care. 

“And here I thought you’d finally stopped quoting that damn book, V.” Nero said as he stacked two of the larger boxes, lamenting the sheer number of them. How much stuff had he managed to keep in that tiny guest room?” If these are all books I swear…”

It took a moment, but V finally managed to clamber to his feet, brushing off the small layer of dust that had accumulated on his clothing while he’d been sitting on the floor. The house needed a good dusting, and he’d spent much for the day before letting it air out and attempting to get a head start on the process of making it livable. There were no appliances in the kitchen, and he didn’t really have any plans as to how he was going to work all of the expenses for furniture out just yet, but at least he wasn’t drowning in bills like Dante and he actually owned a plate. Probably. He wasn’t sure if he could find it just yet.

“To be honest, I’m somewhat surprised that you recognized that verse.” An almost smug smirk spread across his face, a knowing look in his eyes as he faced Nero, folding his arms lightly around himself. There was a draft coming in from the open door, and the chilly weather wasn’t helping any.” But then again, I suppose you _did_ read my book cover to cover, so it only makes sense.”

For a moment, a slightly confused look crossed Nero’s face as he attempted to remember the point in which he’d admitted that to V. In all honesty, he couldn’t recall that conversation, but one thing was for sure: he remembered telling Vergil about two weeks prior. His brain stalled for a moment as he realized that his ability to poke fun at his older sibling was now compromised, and he had no high ground to speak of.

“... Vergil told you, didn’t he?” Nero exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassed discomfort. It was more of a statement than it was a question, the younger of the two positive that he knew exactly how his older sibling had found out. It was an interesting revelation to be sure. Nero had assumed many things about his father, that much was certain. But he’d never taken him as the sort to gossip. Regardless, he found it as entertaining as he did embarrassing. Was V going to try to talk poetry with him now that he knew he had some level of comprehension towards the subject matter?

The longer haired devil hunter gave a brief nod, blinking slowly as he chuckled quietly to himself. If only Nero could see the face was making. Pure gold was an understatement. As far as V was concerned, this was probably the most embarrassed Nero had ever looked in front of him, and that was saying something considering the number of times Nico had absolutely destroyed him in front of his three young children.

His mind wandered for a moment as the thought of the little ones crossed his mind. They lived back on the island with his brother, Kyrie, and Nico, and now he resided in this place. But in a strange turn of events, for the first time in his life, he wondered how he would cope with that reality. V had been alone his entire life, only having himself to rely on when things took a turn for the worst. And while he still had Griffon and Shadow, he found himself wondering how the silence within his new dwelling would sit with him. He’d become so accustomed to the sound of children laughing, and the constant but friendly bickering between Nero, not to mention the commotion from the kitchen whenever someone (normally Kyrie) was cooking, or the absolute pleasure that was the chaotic dinners that he’d had the pleasure of participating in. The very concept of missing out on these events actually lowered his spirits a bit when he considered them, because despite the fact that he’d generally been a silent observer, simply partaking in the ambience of domestic bliss, he’d felt… _safe_ there. _Wanted._

For the first time in a long time, he wasn’t sure what he thought about being alone.

When he’d made the decision to move away from everyone else, it had been an idea born of a desire to both acquire his own space, and to keep any possible danger that he might attract away from those he cared about. There was no guarantee that this cult was completely wiped out, and V knew that he would never forgive himself if he allowed those that he’d come to value to dearly become embroiled in whatever this mess was that he now found himself in. For once, he had something to lose. And he rather enjoy the view from afar and pine fruitlessly for times that had long since passed than be the catalyst that sent their happy world crashing down in a pillar of flames. Metaphorically, of course.

“You just told me. But yes, he did as well.” V stepped past him, ignoring the flabbergasted look on Nero’s face and heading back towards the van to check and see if there were any remaining boxes. The feeling of the cool air hitting him as he walked out onto the tree lined street helped ease the growing sensation of discontent that he felt in the pit of his stomach. It was like a knot that grew tighter in his throat and his abdomen all at once, not physically inhibiting him in any way, but making him uncomfortable nonetheless. How was it that his own insecurities and anxieties about things that had yet to pass always seemed to steal away what could otherwise be pleasant memories? V had a habitual habit of assuming the very worst, and rarely hoping for the best. After all, he couldn’t be let down if his expectations were low. And yet, in moments like these, he wished for nothing more than to be the type of person who could quietly sweep his worries under the rug and drop his inhibitions, simply reveling in the beauty and wonder of the world he lived in. 

He could count the number of times he’d had reason to feel that way on one hand, not a single thing standing out in his life for positive reasons. And yet, there was a part of him that just wanted him to feel as though he’d accomplished something by making it this far, but cutting himself a break seemed to be out of his realm of ability.

“In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.” V spoke quietly under his breath, his words barely a whisper in the crisp late summer air. He was not aware of the fact that Nero was standing behind him, taking in the change in mood between them.

The younger of the two could tell that something in V’s demeanor had changed in the last few minutes, and he had some idea as to what might be on his mind. From the moment that V had announced his intentions to move out, everyone had been excited for him. But as the actual day that he had chosen to move out approached, the house seemed to grow ever more silent. There was a certain stillness between everyone as they considered what it would be like to walk past his room and know what he wasn’t there. Everyone had grown so accustomed to their little arrangement, and had come to enjoy the company of everyone else present. Even though he’d been given an opportunity to experience something uniquely wonderful, none of them could shake the sadness that came with his departure, V included. And although none of them spoke of this, they all felt it deep down.

Even though everyone knew that he was a ferry ride and a short drive away, it felt like an ocean had sprang up between them. And distance between them was like an impassable wall and, as crazy as it might have seemed, V couldn’t help but feel like he was being selfish for doing something that he hoped would bring them all more safety and security in the long run. Perhaps it was worse having had something and then lost it than it was to live without it. V couldn’t say yet. But one thing he could say was that he hoped he could find some way to preserve that feeling of closeness he felt with the rest of his friends and family, even with an ocean between them. Dante’s office and Magnolia’s shop were close by, not more than a half hour in either direction unless traffic was taken into account. And in an ironic twist of fate, V was not too far from what remained of Redgrave City, his new dwelling closer to it than any of the other residences. This provided him with an interesting possible venture in the future, but he wasn’t entirely sure what he would do if he went there. Visit all the locations he’d nearly been killed in? Go and try to locate more books? Did he even have more books? There had to be about fifteen large boxes stacked on the floor in the living room, and the large majority of them were filled with books, most of which he hadn’t taken the time to read.

Maybe that was a good place to start.

During his momentary lapse of focus, Nero had nabbed the final box and closed the van door, finally drawing V’s attention. They shared a quiet glance at one another for a moment before V simply opted to follow Nero into the house. He took a moment to close the front door behind them and then went up the stairs in the front entrance, feeling the need to find a quiet place to collect his thoughts for a moment. Through no sentient intent of his own, he eventually made it to the second story balcony. V leaned against the cool metal railing, closing his eyes for a moment as he considered his next steps and simply took in the cool air. It was a beautiful day, and the weather was perfect. Perhaps he should simply breath and allow himself to just enjoy himself for a moment. Was that truly so difficult for him?

Shortly after his arrival, Nero peaked his head around the corner. He’d noticed that V had disappeared, and had a feeling that he’d gone to some other part of the house. His first guess would have been the backyard, but the second story overlook made just as much sense. One way or another, he was outside.

“I hope it’s not too unlike me to say thank you… for everything. I…” He trailed off for a moment, aware that Nero was there, but unable to find the proper words to express what he was feeling at that moment. He couldn’t even make himself look at Nero as the younger devil hunter approached him, standing at his side in an attempt to see the world as he saw it at that moment. It was a beautiful view.” … Would it be possible for you to thank Kyrie for me? I truly do appreciate… both of you.”  
  
A slight tightness gripped Nero’s chest as he took in the sadness in V’s voice. He understood what the problem was now. The idea of V being homesick when he’d barely even left yet was as heartbreaking as it was sweet, and he couldn’t help but feel a similar way about the prospect of him leaving. No, the _fact_ that he was leaving. They’d already brought the last box in. But that didn’t have to be the end of it.  
  
“You know that you can just tell her yourself, right? Because when you come over for dinner; and you don’t have a choice but to come over _sometime_ , you can just tell her then.” Nero carefully raised his hand and placed it on V’s shoulder, somewhat surprised but relieved when the older descendant of Sparda didn’t pull away or give him a funny look. “I could tell her, but it wouldn’t be the same. She’s always going to have a spot for you if you decide to drop in, ya know?”

Something that Nero wasn’t accustomed to seeing happened in that moment. Something rare and genuine. What was meant to be a soft smirk became an actual smile, lingering longer than V probably initially intended, and spreading to the rest of his face in a way that none of his clever smirks ever had. There was a certain light that he’d never seen in his eyes before; a glimmer of something foreign to the younger man that he’d never thought was possible. The bittersweet happiness in his face was genuinely touching, and Nero couldn’t think of a moment when he’d ever seen V share so much emotion with such a small gesture. And internally, Nero was happy that he’d played some part in causing him to react in such a way. He knew that he’d never truly understand what it took for V to open up to someone and be vulnerable around them, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t know that it took an awful lot for him to do so.

“I suppose the children will need someone to read them to sleep as well. What will they do without me?” There was a certain tone to V’s voice when he spoke those words that resonated with Nero, the younger of the two considering for a moment if he could actually get away with what he was thinking of doing. After all, the only other person he’d ever seen attempt to do so was Carlo, and V had nearly died of shock when he’d done so. But then again, there was only one way to actually find out.

“You know, you don’t make any sense half of the time. But that’s okay because I know I probably don’t either, and I’m okay with that.” Nero stared at V intently, slightly distracted by all the different thoughts that were colliding within his wayward mind. Much like V, he wasn’t entirely sure how to articulate what he was trying to put into words.” Maybe I’m just glad you still put up with my bullshit, V.”  
  
Once again, it was V’s turn to look at Nero funny, although this time he was slightly concerned that his younger brother had come down with some kind of illness. “Likewise. But you need not worry. You've done nothing that I needed to tolerate in the first place.” He turned his body in the same direction as Nero’s, intent on facing him, but his eyes traveled downward slightly, never meeting his gaze. At the end of the day, V was still awful at eye contact. Some things never changed.”... _You never gave up on me_ . I’m aware of the fact that I can be… _difficult_. But you’ve persevered regardless. I think what I’m trying to say is… Thank you, Nero.”

Any further consideration that Nero had been giving towards whether or not his idea was a good idea totally went out of the window in that moment when he saw the genuinely touched look on V’s face. It was a fleeting thing, but the young devil hunter was almost positive that there had never been a better time to try and illustrate to V that he actually did care. Truly he did. Nero knew what it was like to feel alone and unwanted. Before he’d met Kyrie and her family, he’d been adrift in a sea of unfriendly faces and bad intentions. She’d been the anchor that grounded him in that storm. But V had never had than until recently, and the idea that he’s spent around twice as long suffering that kind of fate, and still managed to turn out as well as he had was simply soul crushing to Nero. Astounding and a testament to their shared willpower in the face of adversity, but soul crushing nonetheless.

Throwing caution to the wind, Nero did something that he was almost certain he’d regret later and cautiously stepped forward, carefully throwing his arms around V and pulling him into a tight hug. He wasn’t trying to harm him in any way, shape, or form, and he hoped that V wouldn’t recoil in sheer confused terror, but that wasn’t going to stop him this time. There had been so many times that he’d considered doing so and chosen not to out of the fear that he’d upset him in some way. But this time he was done with that. Just this once, he needed V to truly understand that he did, in fact, care. And as touch starved as V was, he hoped it would have a positive effect on him. 

Hell, maybe something as simple as a hug could have gone a long way between their uncle and father. Nero was confident that they'd probably never hugged one another in their entire lives, and he didn’t want to keep that tradition going. There was so much long standing suffering in their family, and he desperately wanted to do something about that, but he had no idea how. All he could do was hope that he hadn’t given V a brain aneurysm from the confusion he was probably feeling at that moment in time.

V wasn’t entirely sure at first how to process what was happening to him. He obviously knew and understood what a hug was, but aside from the one he’d received from Carlo about a month ago, V had never actually experienced such a thing for himself, at least not that he could remember. Perhaps when he had been little, someone had seen fit to show him such a basic level of compassion, but somehow he doubted it. The people at that dreaded place that he’d been forced to call home had _never_ cared about him, of that he was certain. And despite that, he’d persevered. The best revenge in that case had been to do the very thing they didn’t want him to succeed in doing: to live his life and never give them what they wanted most. He refused to simply surrender to the crushing loneliness that he’d once felt and give them that kind of satisfaction. To live and be loved by others was his ultimate insult to the legacy of pain they’d forced him to endure, and although he knew that, he didn’t honestly care. In that particular moment, nothing else really mattered to him but forcing his brain to process what was going on and to respond accordingly.

It took V a little longer than was comfortable with to register that he’d been holding his breath. In one simultaneous moment, he closed his eyes, exhaled, and returned the gesture. Although somewhat clumsy, his intentions had been pure. And despite the fact that neither of them were looking at one another, they both knew that.

Much to Nero’s simultaneous surprise and relief, V hadn't recoiled in horror and stepped away like he’d assumed he would. In that moment, the demon hunter was more glad than ever that he’d gone with his gut and done what he thought was right. And he was even more glad that Vergil and Dante were out of town at the moment “wrapping up some loose ends” so that they couldn’t find some creative way to ruin this touching moment between them.

After a moment, they let one another go, and Nero took a step back, reaching behind the still open doors for something. V watched him, a strange rush of emotions overtaking him as he realized that he had no idea how to react or what to do now that it was over. What a strange thing it was, not knowing how to achieve homeostasis after something as basic as a hug. He really was a mess, wasn’t he? 

Before he could say or do anything, his shock and bewilderment intensified, and Nero stepped back towards him and extended his hand to give him something that he’d long since written of as a lost cause. He extended his hand slightly, his fingers brushing almost hesitantly across the surface of the cane he’d genuinely thought that he’d lost forever, trying his hardest to quantify what the revelation that Nero had returned it to him meant to him.

Nero cleared his throat, somewhat worried that he’d broken the entire logical center of V’s brain. Maybe he should have waited a bit longer to reveal the fact that they’d found the cane to him? No, he didn’t want to worry about him going back and forth, up and down the stairs while he was back in Fortuna. This was the best housewarming present he could think of because he knew that it had been significant to V. And now he had it back. This had been the right thing to do.

“Nico said she made some sort of modification to it and that she’d explain the next time she saw you. We found it the day we brought back all of those books.” Nero used his free hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, shrugging in discomfort. He was clearly somewhat flustered. Why was this so difficult?” We thought it might be the time to give it back to you after that cult almost killed you. Can’t have you falling down the stairs in your own house, V. I won’t be here to catch you. But you can always just call, ya know?”

V gave an absent minded nod, turning the cane around in his grasp as the dim evening light. Yes, there was something different about the cane, but he couldn’t place what it was. Had it been lighter before? Regardless, he was just happy to have it back, and the fact that they’d found it and made sure it was returned to him was strangely relieving. Maybe there was just a certain sense of security that came with having it back in his possession. It was difficult to say.

“Thank you. Truly. This is… I don’t know what to say.” V gave Nero a thoughtful look as he glanced in the direction of the door that led inside of the house. He suddenly felt the desire to go and sit down. The last few minutes had been unreasonably taxing, and moving into a new house was a marathon, not a sprint. He gestured for Nero to follow him, the younger man obliging him wordlessly.” Care to join me?”

Nero shrugged. “Fine by me. What are we doing?”

V stopped for a moment, not entirely sure himself. “Honestly, nothing. I just want to go inside.”

The younger of the two shook his head and let out a small sound somewhere between a chuckle and a laugh. V could be so hard to understand at times. There was never a dull moment between them, was there? “Sounds good to me. I’m right behind you.”

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this chapter turned out to be way more wholesome than I’d anticipated! I've been waiting to redo this scene for literally a year XD check out the original fic Sorting for a comparison. I literally might just fuck around and build V’s house in the sims just because I feel like it LOL! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I had a blast writing it all night when I should have been sleeping. Take care and I’ll see you all on Friday. Hopefully today goes well since I’m going back to work right after this goes up! Wish me luck everyone!
> 
> Additional Note: I won’t spoil anything, but the ex taunt and end cutscenes for SE literally made me laugh to death. I’m dead now, but hell has pretty good wifi. Thank you.


	35. Chapter Thirty Five: Admissions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Vergil’s EX taunt is the only thing keeping me alive right now. I’m so sleepy lol please help me! This chapter is going up four hours earlier than normal because I need a NAP! Sorry for any errors. I’ll double check everything as soon as I get a chance.

Chapter Thirty Five: Admissions

(-~-) ****

**Sunday, August 25th, 1:00 am**

With a thundering crash, the oversized demon toppled over like a broken tree, taking the lower portion of the old warehouse with it. It hissed it’s final breath, melting into a gooey puddle of broken glass and blood, no longer a threat to anyone in the general area. Alas, there was no time to celebrate their hard earned victory, as their defeated foe was far from the only Empusa Queen walking the streets of Capulet City.

In principal, the request had been relatively straightforward. Meet with Morrison, find out what the customer wanted them to do, and then receive their well earned payment. The only issue was that the execution proved to be less straightforward. For reasons that were totally beyond them, the assailant that had brought to beir the disaster they currently found themselves in the middle of had been extraordinary difficult to track down, the two of them still not entirely sure where their opponent was, what they looked like, or why they were up to basically anything that they were embroiled in. All they knew was that nearly half of the city had ran for the hills the second several dozen large demons had started marching up the streets with a thirst for blood and a need to kill.

This was a fact that Vergil in particular found incredibly annoying, not at all pleased to be so out of the loop when it came to such critical information. This entire situation could be over and done with within an instant if the eldest Son of Sparda Simply knew where to point his beloved blade, and the fact that they didn’t even know what kind of being they were up against didn’t help in the slightest. With a discontent sigh, Vergil directed his ire towards the nearest unfortunate Demon. If only the useless things were capable of telling them who had been insane enough to unleash them and where the portal or gateway was located.

“Look, I’m telling ya we should just call them.” Dante said as he kicked the demon he’d just impaled off of the other end of his blade, knocking it backwards towards his twin. The devil slayer in blue shot him an irritated look, cleaving the half dead demon in half before turning his attention back towards the queen he’d targeted. Dante shot the creature in the back, causing it to turn it’s attention away from the hapless pedestrians and towards them in a move that probably negated the element of surprise that Vergil had hoped to start the fight with. Or it would have if he’d teleported towards it even a millisecond later as he collided with the snarling beast, cutting clear through it. He landed a moment later, sheathing his blade and turning his attention back towards his younger twin, showing no concern towards this opponent who was too slow to realize that it was already dead standing. 

A spray of viscera and blood soaked the ground as the second demon in less than half a minute met its end, the ringing click that signaled Yamato’s return to its rightful resting place finally causing the creature to topple over and just miss flattening a nearby car. As police sirens sounded in the distance and what few citizens that remained fled in terror, Vergil shook his head, absentmindedly delivering his younger brother his answer. “No. Absolutely not.”

Just then, a small swarm of smaller assorted Empusa came crashing through and over a nearby shop, sending shards of broken glass flying every which way as they hurried after a small, startled dog. The canine bolted into a nearby park, sufficiently losing them in the process as they lost sight of it, the crafty pooch scampering underneath a nearby truck with reckless abandon. Dante put away his blade and drew King Cerberus before charging up a powerful strike and drawing a line in blood through the crowd of demons, the ice spikes it created shredding the minor demons with minimal effort. Vergil spared Dante a brief look of disbelief before silently joining him in his attack. Despite the fact that his mind was elsewhere, destroying the demons was a no brainer, and there were few, if any times that Vergil would pass up an opportunity to strike down his enemies.

“You're no fun, ya know that, right?” Dante said with a shrug as one of the unlucky demons caught a mouthful of buckshot at point blank range, rendering it lifeless quicker than it could probably register.” They aren’t kids, brother. I’m pretty sure they can handle themselves in a fight. Or are you just scared they’re gonna upstage you?”

A flurry of swipes and slashes ended in a devastating charge as Vergil made mincemeat out of four of the smaller demons, his attention turning towards the flying Empusa that accompanied them. As the small ugly creature attempted to charge up an attack, Vergil teleported towards it, ending it’s pitiful existence in a single swipe. It perished with a loud screech, dissolving as it was carried away in a gust of chilly night air, it’s green essence wasted on it’s enemies as they had yet to be injured and required no mending.

“I’m just going to pretend that I didn’t hear you say that.” Vergil said in a flat, humorless tone as he and Dante finished off the remaining demons with a combined assault, the two both executing a charged attack to strike down their weaker foes before giving one another a perplexed look. Neither of them had been aiming to shred the hapless creatures with a combined Drive strike, but they had done so nonetheless. It was strange how they occasionally managed to mirror one another so seamlessly without any conscious effort to do so on their part. While it wasn’t entirely unwelcome, neither of them truly knew what to think of it, either. Perhaps it was simply a result of them being twins. But there was no way of knowing for sure. Regardless, they both found it slightly unsettling how they consistently managed to read one another so well.

“Look, all I’m sayin’ is that this whole city is gonna be up in flames by this time tomorrow, so it might be a good idea.” Dante shrugged as he put away his weapon and started towards the end of the street. An explosion could be heard from around the corner, and the youngest of the Dark Knight Sparda’s twin sons was almost certain that he would find more opponents to do battle with at its source.” I’m the last person looking to take a smaller cut on this gig, but two cities in one year is a bit much, dontcha think?”

If it was possible for a look to kill someone, Vergil’s icy glare would have done so. He followed Dante along at a distance, not quite searching for the same thing that his younger doppelganger was headed towards. There had to be some sort of pattern to this attack. Unless there were multiple breaches, then they had to be able to figure out the basic vicinity of the portal that these demons were coming from.

At this point, spite alone was enough to drive Vergil into searching every crevice of this wretched city for their unknown advisory. He’d agreed to tag along with Dante in the hopes that he might get to blow off some steam and try not to think about V’s condition for a short while, only to be met by an insurmountable task the likes of which he accustomed to but no less annoyed by. What was it with this region and the constant demonic attacks. Fortuna, Enamel, Capulet, Redgrave… the list just went on and on for no foreseeable reason, and there was no discernible logic to it. All of the gates were closed, and the conduit that the cult had once gathered around seemed to have either been damaged in some way or destroyed since it no longer functioned. And yet, for as long as Vergil could remember it, this entire area had been plagued by demonic attacks. It was unusual for one municipality to have such a high concentration of demonic activity for such a prolonged length of time. 

He furrowed his brow slightly as he wondered whether or not their father had settled in this region for this precise reason. After all, it would make perfect sense. A quiet pang of something he refused to acknowledge gripped him for a moment as he wondered if he would ever have the chance to ask their father something like that for himself. What would the legendary Dark Knight think of the things that the two of them had done in his absence? Would he feel pride and vindication, or profound disappointment. It had been so long since Vergil had spoken to him that he honestly wasn’t sure what to think about that situation. That being said, despite a lifetime of searching for him, Vergil had never been able to find a concrete answer to his questions, and that was something that occasionally deprived him of a well earned nights rest. There was only so much that someone could take in a lifetime when it came to losses, and although logic dictated that he simply let the matter go and move on, the Darkslayer was confident that that was something he was incapable of doing. He’d never truly tried to, and he felt no desire to attempt to do so. Maybe at some point he’d simply have to face what could be the truth, He just hoped it wouldn’t be anytime soon, and knew that this wasn’t the time to dwell on such things. After all, he had a plan.

(-~-)

**Sunday, August 24th, 11:00 pm**

As the sun had fallen below the bridge of the horizon, it had become increasingly clear that Nero didn’t actually have any immediate plans to head back to Fortuna that night. A quick call to Kyrie had insured that she wouldn’t spend the night up worrying about what they might have gotten up to, and the youngest Descendant of the Sparda was safe to continue sitting in a dusty, chilly, townhouse that had been practically abandoned for the better part of two decades. 

Nero only knew the sparse information that V had shared with him over the last few days as he’d prepared to leave, but he couldn’t help but wonder what V was going to do there all alone with nothing to do but read and shiver due to the lack of heat. While the house was entirely structurally sound, and had an incredibly interesting look to it, that didn’t change the fact that the power and other utilities wouldn’t be on until around noon, and that it was _freezing_ inside of basically every room in the house. V didn’t really own that many items, so things were going to stay relatively chilly for the reminder of the night at the very least, and there was a part of Nero that wondered if V was going to freeze to death in the meantime.

“So how cold does it have to get in here before you start burning books?” Nero said, entirely joking but genuinely curious as to how V would react to that question. Although he was basically sure that his older sibling would probably sooner die than disrespect a work of literature in such a profound way, there was always the chance that even V had limits to his insanity. The question was did those limits actually make sense.

The part devil in question glanced over at him from his position on the floor nearest to the fireplace. There was no kindling of any kind present aside from the boxes nearest to them, most of which probably did actually contain books if their weight and V’s track record was anything to go by. While he didn’t seem surprised or unamused by the question, V did seem somewhat horrified. It seemed that ever though they were in a cold house in the dark, V was still in relatively high spirits.

“... I would sooner burn my own shirt.” V said in a tone of voice so matter of fact and blunt that Nero couldn’t help but laugh a little. There was no doubt about it. V was deadly serious when it came to his books, but this was a whole new level of insanity.

“But V, if it’s that could, wouldn’t you be better off just keeping the shirt on and burning the books?” Nero gave him a curious look, clearing his throat slightly as he shifted in his spot on the floor slightly. He felt the draft blow in a little, and was certain that leaving a few of the windows open to allow air to come in over night was going to be the death of them. It was truly very chilly outside, all jokes aside.

Stretching slightly, V nodded diligently.” Yes, it would be. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t. But on this one specific occasion, I choose to be _illogical._ For what is the point of victory if a man loses his own soul?” He paused for a moment, seemingly thinking. After a moment of thoughtful silence, he glanced back over at Nero, opting to stand up and make his way over to one of the nearby boxes.” _A truth that's told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent_ ”

Nero nodded to himself, noticing that V had once again quoted that book that he carried around with him everywhere. It was strange, but this time, he actually understood the context of V’s words, and he couldn’t help but find that slightly fascinating. It was rare that he understood what his older brother was going on about, but despite the fact that he didn’t share the same devotion to the literary arts that V did, he understood the sentiment that he was trying to convey, even if it was purposefully dramatic purely for the hell of it.

“So… what are you going to do with this place? I mean, you just moved in, but you don’t really have anything to put in it.” Nero gestured towards the vast nothingness around them, noting that there were only a few pieces of furniture scattered about the place. All of them were covered in a tarp or something akin to it, and they seemed to be protecting the tattered remains of whatever furniture remained in the house after it’s former residents had vacated the area.” What’s the plan? I mean, whatever it is, it’s gotta be better than whatever Dante has been up to all this time. I’m still shocked that he keeps the power on half of the time.”

A soft smirk crossed V’s face as he considered that for a moment. It was somewhat insane that their uncle had managed to keep the office open considering how chaotic his payment schedule was and how often he tended to get himself into either deeper debt or dicey situations. V had overheard Lady and Trish talking about how the devil hunter in red had been forced to replace the front door and jukebox on numerous occasions due to accidents, attacks, and simply bad judgement in the face of all perceivable common sense. He had to admit that not being able to keep the front door on your own office had to be the mark of an insane person, but it was too early for him to be able to say that. After all, he hadn’t been in his new home a single day yet.

“Making sure I actually own furniture has never been one of my strong suits. I don’t tend to stay in one place for very long, so I’ve never actually needed it.” V opened the box nearest to him as he spoke, digging around in it’s contents as he continued to speak to Nero.” Thankfully, I do have something set aside for this kind of situation. Financially I mean. I _really_ don’t own much of anything. That must seem strange.”

The younger of the two shrugged nebulously as V attempted to make himself comfortable on the plastic covered sofa after producing a familiar blanket from the box. Nero shook his head as he realized where V had gotten that from, not at all surprised that Kyrie was simply incapable of allowing V to leave without at least one parting gift. It was just who she was. When she cared about something or someone she needed to make sure that they knew that and that they were safe. Since she wasn't a fighter, she did little things like make someone a blanket to show her appreciation.

“It’s not that weird, V. And why am I not surprised that she gave you that blanket.” Nero said with a small laugh.” That’s basically been yours since you showed up. What did you used to do before we met you? I can’t picture you with a normal job.”

V nodded thoughtfully as he wrapped himself up in the blanked. Nero had no idea how right he was. The very first night that he’d spent in their home had been under this blanket. Kyrie had gifted it to him in an attempt to make him more comfortable. And when he’d chosen to leave, she’d asked him to keep it as something to remember her by. Despite the fact that he’d gently reminded her that he wasn’t moving very far away, and that he’d see her again very soon, she had insisted that he take her up on the offer. And he was smart enough to recognize when he’d lost a battle, much like he’d realized that he had nowhere to run to escape this conversation with Nero that he now found himself in. Sometimes it was best to simply tackle a problem head on. Metaphorically at least. V was positive that he’s never physically tackled anything in his entire life.

“I suppose I should tell you, then. But only on the condition that you won’t laugh. It’s a bit fantastical.”

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In a hilarious turn of events, I literally work Wednesday and Friday next week, and those are the only days I work! I’m going to try my very best to get everything out on time however. Just gotta start next week's chapters early, and abuse the cue features. That’s all! I hope everyone is having a good week. Hang in there!


	36. Chapter Thirty Six: Elementary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Now that all the election stuff is over, I have to say that I feel much less stressed out. Crazy how that works! Making sure that the chapters come out on time this week is going to be an interesting challenge! But I’m an adult. I’ll figure it out!

Chapter Thirty-Six: Elementary    
  


(-~-)

**Sunday, August 25th, 1:30 am**

When someone spent half of their life in the underworld, communication skills were something that eroded quickly, practically evaporating into thin air like the mist on the undrinkable waters that flowed through the region that the Qliphoth had sprouted from. Even in situations where the eldest Son of Sparda was aware of the possible advantages that came with forming an allegiance with someone else, he was still largely incapable of doing so. Alliances meant sharing one’s plans, and by the time that Vergil did so, he could have just done it himself. Or so he figured, in most regards.

In this particular instance, he simply hadn’t put much thought into doing so. Regrouping with Dante would be simple enough, and if he hadn’t managed to kill him himself up until this point, then he was more or less invincible, especially against such weak opponents. After his departure, he noted that more fearsome forms of the insectoid demons had emerged from seemingly everywhere, intent on scoring the necessary amount of blood to satiate their queen’s unquenchable thirst. Dante had shrugged off their onslaught easily enough, but Vergil would be lying if he said that he hadn’t considered joining his twin to stave off the increasing numbers, if only for a moment. He had to see to a larger goal, and he was confident that Dante was more than capable of taking care of himself for a few minutes while he stepped away to take care of something. He wasn’t a child, even if he acted like one at times.

Emerging from a well-placed portal, Vergil stepped out on top of the roof of a nearby office building, taking the opportunity to gaze out across the city. It seemed that the damage hadn’t spread especially far, and he supposed that he should be more relieved about that than he actually was. In truth, it wasn’t so much that he didn’t care, it was that he was simply preoccupied. There were several things on his mind at the moment, and the source of this particular demonic attack was more interesting to him than the property damage that was taking place at the moment. While the deaths and injuries of some of the innocent bystanders were admittedly unfortunate, Vergil was simply so used to experiencing such a phenomenon that it didn’t affect him in the way that it probably should anymore. In a strange way, this entire situation reminded him of something that he’d experienced a lifetime ago, an event that had helped land him in the position that he currently found himself in.

How drastically different things could have been if he hadn’t passed through that town all those years ago… 

A quick glance across the area confirmed his suspicions. It seemed that all of the demons were coming from one general direction, the majority of them apparently pouring out of a single building. It was an old, seemingly abandoned brick factory a block or so away. As soon as they left the building, they flooded down the adjacent road like an unholy tidal wave, destroying literally everything in their path. While Vergil wasn’t a betting man, he was more than willing to assume that something suspicious was going on in that place, and that it was probably a decent decision to go and check it out. Finding this elusive individual who was responsible for the newly opened gates had become a personal vendetta in some respects. The Darkslayer did not enjoy being outmaneuvered by an unknown assailant. It made him feel foolish, something that he did not appreciate.

“Oh, so this is where you ran off to! And just when I was starting to worry.”

Vergil glanced over his shoulder at his younger twin, not at all surprised that he had managed to track him down so quickly after exterminating the majority of the demons. His timely arrival had saved him some footwork at the very least since he was inclined to bring Dante along with him. Leaving him behind would simply lead to either having to explain what happened when something inevitable didn’t go as planned, or more likely, would end in some sort of argument when Dante finally managed to track him down due to his lack of explanation.

“You showed up. It seems you still know how to surprise me.” Vergil said just as unenthusiastically and sarcastically as his twin had a moment ago. He then gestured towards the building that he’d located, internally cursing himself for coming along. It seemed that every time he left the office, disaster struck.” I don’t think I need to explain where they're coming from, do I?”

Dante shrugged and allowed his eyes to travel to the place that his older twin had indicated, nodding to himself as he immediately came to the same conclusion. So Vergil had moved to higher ground to get a better view of an unfamiliar environment, then? The younger of the two was starting to see how Vergil had survived as long as he had in the underworld. It hadn’t occurred to him to do something like that until he’d looked up and noticed that Vergil was conspicuously absent from their fight after he’d killed the hundredth worker ant like monstrosity. The Empusa were truly strange creatures, even by demonic standards. Strange and numerous.

“Gee, I don't know about that. See, my eyes aren’t what they used to be.” Dante said in a humorous tone, leaning over the ledge of the building and pretending to strain as he very clearly made eye contact with the building in question. He was clearly mocking his twin, but in possibly the most obvious way imaginable.” You might have to point it out. Can’t quite find it.”

For a moment, Vergil stared at his younger sibling’s back in quiet disbelief, simply at an impasse in regards to how to process the irrational amount of irritation he felt about everything that he’d just heard. The devil slayer in blue couldn’t really pinpoint what it was about that statement that he found so damn annoying, but here he was, at a loss for words, and very much annoyed. What was it about Dante and his simply infuriating mannerisms that were so effective at getting under his skin? He was an adult. He was supposed to be better than this. No, he  _ had  _ to be better than this. Didn’t he?

Without a moment’s pause, Vergil gave into temptation and firmly planted his outstretched foot into Dante’s back, sending him careening off of the top of the building. The devil hunter in red let out a surprised yelp before tumbling over the edge of the roof, bound for the pavement. Vergil let out an unusually content sigh, suddenly feeling far more vindicated than he had any right to. He told himself that it was revenge for that time that Dante had kicked him through his own portal during their return from the underworld, but honestly, he wasn’t sure. In all honesty, there was a part of him that had simply wanted to do something like that for a very long time. 

“ _ He will land right side up. I’m sure of it. And if not… well, his bones heal quickly. We're only on the sixth story, after all.” _ Vergil reasoned internally before stepping forward and allowing himself to plummet down towards the pavement. They’d both fallen from much greater heights than this before. But then again, they had been younger. And right-side up. Hopefully, their joints hadn’t aged along with them, or the pavement was going to be harder than he remembered.

It seemed that he wasn’t “better than that” after all.

(-~-)

**Sunday, August 25th, 1:00 am**

“Something tells me that this isn’t exactly a good idea, Nero. We may come to regret this.”

There was only a certain amount of time that a person could sit in a cold, essentially abandoned building and freeze to death in front of a perfectly good fireplace before they simply couldn’t stand it anymore and gave into temptation, forcing themselves to do things that they might later come to regret later. Nero had reached that amount of time.

He glanced back at V for a second, shrugging for a moment before turning his attention back towards the chimney in question. Nero had been examining the smokestack for several minutes now, unsure of what he wanted to do about this situation. The house had become even colder in the last hour, or at least it seemed like it. More than likely it was still the same temperature that it had been a short while ago, but the sheer amount of time they'd spent sitting in a freezing room had led him to believe otherwise.

“I’ll tell you what I  _ do  _ regret. Sitting on the floor for the last hour like that was magically going to make me warmer or something. If I don’t do something, we're both going to freeze to death, V.” Nero said as he attempted to see what was inside of the chimney. It was exceedingly dark inside of the room that they were in, and neither of them possessed any sort of light. From what he could tell, there was no soot build-up present on any of the bricks inside, and light was visible from the top. At the very least, there were no blockages. That was a good start.

The longer white-haired man was still laying on the couch under his blanket, only now he was reading. They were supposed to be talking, but he’d suddenly become quiet. Tired. More than likely the strain from the day’s activities had finally caught up with him. Despite being tired, he’d come to realize that trying to fall asleep with Nero in the room was nearly impossible. It seemed that he still hadn’t shaken his nasty habit of overthinking his surroundings, and that was a real issue in this instance.” You can have the blanket. It’s better than accidentally lighting yourself on fire. I insist.”

Nero glanced back at him again before turning his attention back to the fireplace. He’d spent the last few minutes stuffing some of the collapsed cardboard boxes that V had gathered into it in an attempt to use them as kindling. V had managed to help him out, even though he hadn’t meant to do so in the first place. Quite the opposite, actually. The summoner had expressed a reasonable amount of concern about the concept of lighting such an old fireplace without cleaning it first, worried that built-up soot and debris might spell his younger sibling’s doom.

“Oh, come on! I retrofitted my own sword to shoot flames! Dontcha think I know how to handle a little fire? Just trust me, it’s gonna be fine. Come look. I’ve gotta go get something out of the van.” Nero stood and gestured towards something in the fireplace, waiting for V to join him before bolting off to grab whatever he was after. After a few moments, V declared defeat and decided to join Nero in his attempts to keep them from dying of hypothermia, apprehensive but aware of the fact that Nero was more than likely not going to give up. He did have more experience handling flammable substances than V did, but that didn’t change the fact that this was a supremely dangerous thing to be doing, especially in the dark. He just couldn’t shake the feeling they were going to burn the house down or something.

The youngest of the two hunters returned a moment later with a strange-looking device that V honestly didn’t recognize at all. A part of him was somewhat sure that he’d seen the device before in the back area of the mobile workstation near Nico’s work area, but he still wasn’t entirely sure. But something told him that he had plenty of reason to be worried about it, regardless of whether or not he knew what it was.

_ "... Should I even ask what that does?” _ V said hesitantly, already more than sure that he would regret any answer his younger sibling gave him. While he thought the world of Nero and didn’t think that he was unintelligent in the slightest, that didn’t change the fact that he was positive that he hadn’t thought whatever this was through. Nero liked to take risks that V generally didn’t due to a number of factors. Due to his general condition and his cautious nature in most situations, V just didn’t tend to try some of the things that Nero came up with. He was aware of the fact that he might seem boring, but it was better than being mortally wounded or deceased. There was still much that he wanted to do with his life, and he couldn’t do it if he was six feet under.

“Here, I’ll show you,” Nero said, stepping forward and pressing the nozzle of the device into the fireplace. V watched as a distinct mixture of intrigue and anxiety gripped him, totally unsure as to what Nero hoped to achieve. If he was willing to guess, this device was used to pressure clean things. After all, it had a long nozzle on it. But he still wasn’t sure. After all, what use would Nico have for such a device inside of the van?

A moment late, Nero pulled the trigger on the gun like device and aimed it towards the inside of the fireplace. In an instant, the dry cardboard caught fire and expanded towards the top of the fireplace. Nero nodded as he carefully scooted the grate back in front of the small flickering flame, content. Things had done according to plan, and he liked that. But one glance over at V immediately made him question what he’d just done.

For reasons that were totally foreign to Nero, Griffon had manifested during his little demonstration, and the bird seemed to share V’s hesitation in regards to the way things were panning out. The young summoner seemed to be fixated on the flames as though he was waiting for something. Nero gave him a curious look as Griffon suddenly took flight with a loud yelp and V took a step back gesturing for him to do the same thing. Nero took a single step backward, completely and utterly confused as to what the problem here was. But before he could say anything, a sudden explosion of flames shot out at them, just missing them as Nero jumped backward to avoid damage, and Shadow manifested without warning only to snatch V over the back of the plastic-covered couch.

The violent flashbang like explosion subsided as quickly as it had appeared, leaving everything in its path untouched aside from a small segment of the plastic that covered a nearby chair. Griffon swooped down and snatched it off of the piece of furniture, opting to simply toss it into the fireplace since it was already burning. This fueled the raging inferno further, the height of the flames growing steadily and omitting a loud rumble before flaring outwards again and then subsiding. Much to the shock of everyone present, no one was harmed, at least not physically. Both Nero and V exchanged startled looks before exhaling and allowing themselves to relax, their alert postures dropping as they realized that the flames were contained.

_ “... I suppose I know what it does now _ ,” V said almost sarcastically, the mixture of mild annoyance and relieved horror in his demeanor present for everyone to see. He’d clearly been quite surprised by what had just happened, but that didn’t mean that he was surprised by it. Nero couldn’t quite place what it was about what had just happened that made him so uneasy, but he got a distinct feeling that V had known that that was going to happen.

“Yea, I guess I shouldn’t have used a welding gun to light the fireplace. Wasn’t one of my better ideas.” Nero scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, unsure of what to even say about what had just transpired. He felt like a small child who had just been caught elbow-deep in a jar of peanut butter.” But why did it do that… and why do I feel like you knew it would?”

V closed his eyes for a moment and sat back on the couch, allowing himself to take a few deep breaths before proceeding. It seemed that they were going to have that conversation after all. “... I used to travel for my old job. One night one of the establishments we were in nearly went up in flames when a faulty light made contact with a piece of ancient, dust-coated fabric. It was a stage curtain if I remember correctly.” He paused for a moment to look at Nero, hoping that he understood what he was trying to suggest.” Things that sit empty accumulate dust. Ash isn’t the only culprit.”

The short-haired devil hunter nodded, understanding what V was employing. He’d somehow managed to totally forget that dust could be just as flammable as any form of kindling. Had living with Nico made him reckless when it came to fire hazards? No, he couldn’t blame her for this. It had been an accident, but it had been his accident nonetheless.

”You said it was a stage curtain. What, did you used to be in the circus or something?” Nero snickered lightly at the playful joke, totally unsure as to why he found that so funny. Perhaps it was because he couldn’t shake the mental image of how funny that would be to see. Talk about nightmare fuel! After a moment, he stopped, noticing that V was simply looking at him, trying his best not to crack a smile. Nero’s entire jaw practically hit the floor. He was in total disbelief.” Are you fucking kidding me, V?!”

It was V’s turn to be embarrassed slightly. He looked down at the floor for a moment, though whether it was to hide the flush in his cheeks, or to avoid eye contact was unknown. Regardless, he was extremely embarrassed. “I was a Thespian. I traveled with a theater troupe for about two years before I arrived here. We had our fair share of accidents during that time, and they almost always involved fire to some extent. But then again, theater props and costumes are quite flammable. Luckily I was far from those areas of the production. It was one of the advantages of being in an orchestra pit.”

The short-haired demon slayer literally gave him a sideways look. Why was it that so much more about him made sense now?!” So you were literally in a circus? That was supposed to be a joke, V!”

V chuckled slightly at how obscenely shocked Nero seemed to be, enjoying every second of his bewilderment.” It was a traveling theater, actually. But considering the fact that the end goal of both performative theatre and an acrobatic circus is to perform a show, I suppose you could stand by that argument. I’d probably feel equally at home in either environment, if I’m being honest.”

Nero flopped down on the floor and absentmindedly chucked another piece of cardboard into the fireplace, earning a startled yelp from Griffon as the crazy bird cursed him for nearly hitting him. The avian devil then turned his attention to the conversation that they were currently embroiled in, shaking his head at what he’d just overheard. “I just knew that something wasn’t right about you, V! I guess “Shakespeare'' is a better nickname than I’d thought! You're just somethin else, ya know that?”

V flopped back down on the couch, pulling the cover back over himself as Shadow settled down next to him. He reached over and scratched the top of her head, shaking his own at the situation he now found himself in. Dear or dear, how had things come to this?” Imagination is the real and eternal world of which this vegetable universe is but a faint shadow.”

Both Nero and Griffon shook their heads, the latter of the two groaning. Nero never ran out of quotes, did he? It was actually quite impressive. Now his ability to memorize ream after ream of incredibly old text made a world of sense, and Nero both loved and hated that because he was still reeling from the context he’d been given.

“You know what, V? One of these days I’m gonna lock you in your own closet until you agree to stop reading that damn book.” Griffon said before fluttering over towards his master and perching on the back of the couch.” Might do you some good. It will help the rest of us at the very least.”

Nero wasn’t sure if he agreed with the bird’s statement, but he was absolutely sure of one thing. There was no way in hell this night could get any weirder. Maybe it was best to just go to sleep and call it a night before things got anymore chaotic. Nico was going to lose her mind when she found out about this one.

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this was a fun chapter to write! I’ve been wanting to mention what my headcanon was for part of V’s former life for like six conversations now! So glad I got to throw that one in there! Sorry for any mistakes. I had to edit this 5 minutes before I ran out of the door to go to work. See you all on Friday! All I have to do is make it through this week and I’ll be alright!


	37. Chapter Thirty Seven: Opposition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: And here I sit, having to go to work in 10 hours, and I’m just starting this chapter. Not the best decision, but I’ll find a way to make it work. And then tomorrow I’m gonna relax and try to knock out both chapters for next week early. I can only imagine that Black Friday (which I’m firmly refusing to work this year!) is gonna keep me busy all week.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Opposition

(-~-)

**Sunday, August 25th, 2:00 am**

A cursory look at how the situation was unfolding immediately lent to the idea that any and all police would probably be converging on the vicinity of the attack shortly. Despite the fact that there was very little that the local police (or the military, for that matter) could do against hordes of demons, they were obligated to try, even if only a little. If the Redgrave City attack was anything to go by, the region was woefully underprepared for another demonic attack, but the youngest Son of Sparda was admittedly hopeful that some sort of initiative would be taken by the local government to see to it that the next time something like that happened, they would be able to do more than throw useless grunts at the problem and blow up bridges to keep the demons at bay.

Why did there always have to be a next time?

Despite the fact that it would bring a swift and permanent end to Dante’s demon-hunting career, he couldn’t help but wish for a day where the population of the underworld lost the ability to travel two and from worlds. Their father had spent a considerable amount of time seeing to that, and had made untenable strides in that regard, but here they were, over two thousand years later and still fighting the same foe. It seemed that there would always be a need for their family’s experience in devil hunting; a fact that troubled the devil hunter in red slightly. Was this it, then? Was their entire bloodline cursed to do battle against their father’s kin for the remainder of their existence until the day came when they no longer could? Were none of them allowed to pursue their own wants and goals outside of this admittedly limited field? It was all a bit fatalistic and heavy for his tastes, but he found his mind wandering to the topic on occasion these days when he considered his family and everything they had sacrificed as a whole to protect the general public. It was all very heroic, but was there to be nothing more to their lives than endless self-sacrifice and then a glorious and inevitable death in battle?

In truth, Dante couldn’t say that he really minded going out that way, but every time he saw Nero with his family and V trying his best to acclimate to a new and unfamiliar world, he couldn’t help but feel… something that he couldn’t quite pinpoint. If asked, he’d probably say that it was remorse for the lives that they could have had if not for the fact that they had been born into this mess, but he wasn’t sure that was what he really thought. There was no denying that he was glad they were a part of his family, but there were days, especially after Nero had been nearly killed when his twin brother had attacked him that day, that he wished they could have both lived in blissful ignorance, unaware of the danger that their seemingly cursed bloodline carried with it.

The idea of never having met them pained him greatly, but if it meant that they would not have to deal with the trials and tribulations ahead of them and the weight their lineage carried, then he would have slept better at night knowing that they were not doomed to the same fate that he and his older twin were. He wondered how they felt now, and how knowing what he felt would affect them. Dante would never say any of what he was thinking out loud to either of them, but he’d think it nonetheless. And every time that he saw them, it would be a reminder.

Perhaps the two of them together could achieve some semblance of normality for the rest of their little family. Was that such an unreasonable fantasy? It was not impossible to believe that there might be a day where they no longer needed to participate in this endless battle. Or maybe that was wishful thinking. Still, the devil hunter in red needed something to strive for. He wasn’t getting any younger, and the idea of doing battle against their foes was still just as exhilarating to him as it had always been, especially now that his own identical twin was no longer one of those foes. But still, there was much work to be done.

“So whatda think the odds are of this being that cult again?” Dante said as the twins headed towards the building in question. The onslaught of demons had stopped for the time being, signaling that something more might be going on here than they originally thought.”

Vergil stayed quiet for a moment, shifting Yamato to his non dominate hand in an effort to prepare for another attack. There was no way that the eldest Son of Sparda was going to simply waltz into a dark, decrepit building that he’d never been inside of before and just assume that everything was going to be fine. The Darkslayer hadn’t lived as long as he had by being an absolute tool, and he expected that Dante wasn’t that foolish, either. After all, his brother was many things, but a complete idiot was not one of them. While the younger of the two was prone to do foolish things, that didn’t mean that he had a psychotic death wish. And if he did, he wasn’t going to act on it in any way, shape, or form tonight. There were matters to attend to, and he intended to see things through to the end.

“I would imagine the odds of that being the case are about on par with the possibility of this being an obvious trap staged by our opponent.” Vergil lowered his voice as the pair entered the building, making an effort not to give themselves away too prematurely. From what he could tell, they seemed to have the element of surprise, at least for the time being. There was no need to squander that.” But then again, if this is a product of one of Belial’s schemes, then it could very well be an obvious trap meant to throw us off so that we fall victim to another less obvious trap. He likes to indulge in those kinds of games from time to time.’

Dante shot Vergil a curious look as they continued forward. So this Belial demon truly wasn’t playing around, then? Good. He enjoyed a good fight from time to time. He just hoped that no one else got dragged into the conflict. And then there was the mater of V and his connection to this cult. While they had a reasonable hunch as to why this powerful demon prince might want to capture V and what the cult planned to do, there was still no certainty as to what and why this was happening. How had he even known that V was alive in the first place? Dante had spent nearly the entirety of both of his nephews’ lives ignorant to their existence, only for them to go and yank a misplaced soul out of the netherworld and for a demon of this caliber to send someone after him? What were the odds of that?

He needed more in-depth details as to what was going on here…

“So if you think it’s a trap, what are we doing here?” Dante said, not so much expecting an answer from his twin as he was from himself. As if by instinct, they’d both just walked into the building, knowing full well that this wasn’t a logical idea. And yet, here they were. Maybe they were both just insane. “ _ Or maybe there just aren’t a whole lot of things that can stop both of us if we’re working together. And we are, for once.” _ Dante considered internally for a moment. Yes, maybe that was it. But getting too cocky couldn’t end well in the long run. They had to keep their option open, lest they fall victim to their own naivete. 

The youngest of the two brothers couldn’t help but imagine that V would have something to say about this kind of thing; some wise homily to spin about the dangers of hubris and such. Who could say? He wasn’t here, after all. And what a lucky turn of events that had turned out to be. 

Dante didn’t really mind V’s presence in the slightest, but keeping him as far as they could from any possible cult activity was probably a good policy. He could only imagine that his oldest nephew had made a swift recovery by now, but that could all change in an instant if they ran up against a super-powerful demon or a powerful summoner. While V was formidable in a battle (at least from what Dante had seen) there was a certain level of risk that he knowingly undertook anytime he entered battle that none of the rest of them took. Despite his obvious skill, V had the least training out of the lot of them, and the youngest Son of Sparda couldn’t help but imagine what he might be capable of if they showed him how a devil arm worked or he gained further proficiency over his abilities. It had taken Nero a while to get where he was now, but the difference showed in every conceivable way.

Once they returned to the office, the next step would be to return the Arcana to Vie de Marli where it belonged, they would have to see to it that V received some sort of mentorship. But first, they had to make him put down his books long enough to show him anything. Dante couldn’t help but think that V would do better as a librarian or working in some sort of museum than he would in a vicious battle to the death against demons. And yet, somehow he held his own just fine for the most part. The devil hunter in red had to give his nephew credit for one thing: he was an extraordinarily fast learner.

“Because that is where we will more than likely locate our assailant. I have some questions for them.” Vergil said under his breath as they neared what appeared to be a large, open room. He wasn’t so much irritated with Dante as he was the lack of knowledge in this situation, at least for the time being. He refused to tolerate this severe lack of insight any longer than he had to.

The instant that they rounded the corner and walked into the central chamber of the old factory, the two of them were faced with a literal wall of demonic energy. The entire building suddenly reeked of it, confirming their suspicion that this was the place that they had been looking for. And much to their surprise, there was a man standing at the far end of the room with their back turned to them, seemingly unaware of the fact that they had arrived. The twins halted, deciding in silent unison to take the opportunity to see what was going on since a large, glowing portal stood before the unknown man. He shook his head, nodding along to something they couldn’t hear before a loud, otherworldly voice echoed throughout the chamber they currently occupied. Vergil closed his eyes for a moment, a wave of obvious displeasure taking over his features. It was rare that the eldest Son of Sparda wished that he was wrong about something, but this certainly counted as one of those occasions. Dante glanced over at him, searching for silent confirmation of what he’d already surmised from Vergil’s shift in tone. This was the Belial he’d heard so much about, then? Well, they certainly sounded the part. The deep, bellowing tone he spoke in was accited by a certain level of cold, calculating intelligence that Dante was accustomed to associating with the demons he’d spent so long doing battle against, putting the likes of Balrog and Burial to shame despite their obvious sentience. Not, this devil was conniving, and he clearly knew what he was talking about, even if neither of them did.

_ “From what I can tell, things are going to plan. Well, I assume, that is. I don’t have a way of checking.” _

_ “You see,  _ **_that_ ** _ is where you and I differ most, servant. I do not assume. I know.” _

The man shivered slightly, clearly shaken by the words of the powerful being that he served. To say that he was in way over his head would be an understatement, but then again, so we’re practically all humans that dared do business with a Prince of Darkness.

_ “Do you desire anything else from me, master?” _

_ “Oh, I can assure you, I do not require the services of you or any other wayward stragglers any longer. My little cult has proven to be an entertaining diversion for some time now, but it seems that Vergil has once again inadvertently served my best interests by eliminating the vast majority of you. Now I need not do the tidying up on this joyous occasion myself. Truly splendid indeed.” _

If they could have seen the face of the being who he spoke to, Dante got the impression that he had just smirked in self-satisfaction, readjusting himself on his metaphorical throne. There was no way of knowing for sure, but they were willing to bet that the man standing before them had no idea how truly dead he was, and their assumption was proven correct meer moment later when the man suddenly began choking and screaming, violently thrashing about before falling onto the floor. He went into some sort of fit before going totally still, clearly dead to anyone unlucky enough to discover him. Blood ran down his face from his nose and mouth as he gave his last breath, clearly quite distressed as he perished at the hands of his former master.

For a moment, everything went quiet. Dante and Vergil watched, unmoving as the portal continued to glow brightly, knowing that it needed to be closed but unsure as to how it had managed to be opened in the first place. There was a part of Vergil that was furious that he’d missed the opportunity to question the man himself, but he got the impression that Belial wasn’t stupid enough to leave witnesses walking around who his detractors could interrogate. But just as Vergil considered suggesting that they vacate the premises, a low, genuinely pleased laugh bellowed forward from the rift that stood before them.

_ “You know, I should thank you, Son of Sparda. Truly, It’s not every day that I get to indulge in such activities. It’s nothing personal, really. I don’t do personal. But I’m not sorry to say that I won’t be showing you any form of gratitude. You shall see in due time.”  _ He paused for a moment, seemingly waiting for Vergil to speak or respond in some way, but he didn’t. He simply stayed there, unmoving and internally cursing himself for coming here. How had he forgotten about that little facet of his foe’s abilities? _ ” I trust that you remember what happened the last time our paths crossed. I can’t imagine that you’ve forgotten already. After all, our meeting was so…  _ **_memorable_ ** _. I kid, of course. You remember very little of that encounter, as was my will. But do take your time to concoct your own clever schemes as you always do. Some day soon I shall remind you why my will is absolute.” _

With no further fanfare, the portal went dark but remained open. Vergil waited a moment before allowing a long, almost tormented sigh to escape his lungs and exit his mouth. Yes, of course, Belial had known he was there. Didn’t he always. He stood up from the crouched position they’d taken behind the broken and abandoned factory equipment and walked over to the portal, unsheathing Yamato and using it to close the gateway. A criss-cross of delayed swipes closed the gate the instant Vergil returned his devil arm to its sheath, the Darkslayer shaking his head slightly as he rested his hand on his forehead and pinched the top of the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger.

“... Should I ask why you and the nightmare demon are on a first-name basis? And how did he know you were here?” Dante approached Vergil slowly, unsure as to where he should even begin, considering everything he’d just heard.” What’s all this about you forgetting? Did he wipe your memory or somethin’?”

Vergil sighed and dropped his hand from his face, swiftly walking away from the place where the gate had once stood and towards the exit. He suddenly felt an immense and overwhelming desire to leave this place and never return. Dante followed closely behind him, somewhat relieved that the attack was at least over for the time being and that massive amounts of damage were not dealt this time around. It had only been about a city block or so, and casualties, if there were any, had been scarce. After the dumpster fire that the Redgrave City incident had turned into, Dante was eager and willing to take any victories he would take part in, even if those victories were short-lived and slightly situational. This was over because the devil that had willed it into existence had grown bored of it, and that was a fact that Dante wasn’t blind to. And he was not keen on it.

Once they reached the exit and stepped back out onto the street, Vergil crossed his arms for a moment and sighed, unable to find even temporary pleasure in the cool night air. This situation had just taken a rather unorthodox turn for the worst out of nowhere, and he didn’t like that one bit.

”To answer your ceaseless questions, brother, we met some time before I returned to the human world. He demanded that I serve him after the demon thrown was left…  _ unattended _ . Most were unwilling to contest his rise to power at that time, but I refused and usurped him.” Vergil glanced away for a moment, noting the distant lights that accompanied the fire trucks that had just pulled up about two blocks down the road from where they currently stood.” As for how he knew I was there, I can only assume he can still sense my presence from the underworld so long as I am within a certain proximity to a portal. We might as be standing in the same room as far as his abilities are concerned. He does not forget something once he’s experienced it.”

Dante nodded, not at all pleased by any of what his brother had just said. He didn’t need to know how that worked to know that it wasn’t good.” I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess that’s how he killed that guy?”

Vergil nodded.” Yes, in much the same way he attempted to kill me when last we met. Belial has access to a primordial source of power somewhat akin to Nightmare’s that allows him to… suggest an experience for you relive, especially when that memory was never yours to begin with. That and the pressure he exudes when near someone is enough to send most beings spiraling into an early death, or a coma at the very least. It’s rare to be able to resist pure terror. That’s how he managed to fragment my memory of our full encounter, and he clearly revels in that fact. I suppose you could say that his true power is trauma itself.”

This time it was Dante’s turn to cross his arms and look unamused.” So he can, what, literally scare someone to death? Tranutize you so badly that you forget entire events or think something else happened?”

“In essence, yes. And so long as he has physically been in the presence of the individual he wishes to exert his will over, he is basically unavoidable. Thankfully his range is limited, but the extent of his cruelty and the range his machinations are willing to extend to is not. He cares little for petty sentiments such as honor or decency.” Vergil looked distant for a moment as though he were considering something unfathomable, something that he was truly unable to make himself consider.” He would absolutely destroy the minds of anyone necessary to harm his actual larget and leave them a husk of their former selves, decimated beyond repair. I’ve seen him do it. And all that purely to see his opponent break. He is a plague in that sense. And now you understand why I have so little tolerance for anyone who willingly serves him, hence the reason I cut down his cult where they stood. This cannot be allowed to continue.”

For a moment, Dante just stared at Vergil, unsure of what to even say about the mental image that his twin had just painted for him. It was a bit difficult to defeat an enemy that could destroy you from the inside out. How were they supposed to stop him? And although neither of them said it, they were admittedly concerned to some degree when it came to what this demon might want with V and these plans that he was working on. Everything about this situation seemed dire, and the youngest Son of Sparda was starting to grasp the severity of what this could mean for them.

This was now a war.

“Yea… none of that is good, Vergil. None of it.” Dante sighed and shook his head, the weight of the situation they were now in truly affecting them. They needed to act fast and smart, something they didn’t tend to do.” Can’t believe I’m saying this, but we should probably head back to the office and start coming up with a plan or something. Oh, and put that knife back where it belongs.”

Vergil nodded wordlessly, his mind a thousand miles away. He was still combing over the situation at hand. There was a part of him that couldn’t’ shake the feeling that this was all a misdirection of some sort, meant to leave them open to a larger threat. That was generally how Belial operated. While he believed every word of their enemy’s threat, it just wasn’t like the demon prince to be so…  _ direct. _

Just a moment later, the two of them glanced up the street, noting that there was a person in a safety vest standing on top of a vehicle. The man addressed the growing crowd of people gathering around them, all of the locals seeming terrified out of their minds. “Please vacate the area! We are investigating the cause of this event. We have also received news of a mild earthquake due west of here. It caused some kind of underground cave-in deep in the woods near the waterfront which we will be investigating as well. If you reside in that area, do take care when returning home. Thank you for your time!”

Both Dante and Vergil shared a knowing look, relatively positive that they knew where this cave-in had occurred. It seemed that they were not returning to the office just yet. They had a conduit to double-check.

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And just like that, it’s 5:55 am! I have to work today from noon to 7 pm. Looks like it’s going to be a long, energy drink filled day. But that’s okay. It was worth it to finish this chapter! No lie, I might carry this over into a book three as I did with Soliloquy a while back just to keep the pacing in this fic consistent. I’ll think about that when I’m more awake though. Anyway, I look forward to reading what you thought about this chapter! I’m using a new document editor, so I hope it did the trick! I think I’ll post this fic a few hours early, too. See you next week!


	38. Chapter Thirty Eight: Deconstruction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: AH! I’m so sorry, but this chapter is going to be a few hours late! Sorry about that. I woke up today with a spinning headache, so I called off work and decided to take something for my head and take a short nap. And i woke up five hours later. And I hadn’t started today’s chapter yet because I fell asleep at my computer last night doing god knows what. FORGIVE ME!

Chapter Thirty-Eight:

(-~-)

**Sunday, August 25th, 2:15 am**

The once quiet seaside town that they had visited only a few weeks ago was in complete and total disarray. Several structures had collapsed as a result of the vibration caused by the cave-in, and a fire had broken out a few blocks away. Swarms of people had filled the city streets in a panicked and ineffective bid to escape the seemingly doomed area before it fell to the ground in a heap of ash and rubble. Where those on foot were headed was anyone’s guess since the train station was still under construction due to the cultist attack that had nearly taken the lives of dozens of innocent bystanders, and most didn’t seem keen to allow strangers into their vehicles. Firetrucks and other assorted service vehicles were headed towards the city center, their intention to save as many people from the disaster clear for all to see. 

All in all, a stark and somewhat jarring departure for the serene scene they’d left behind only a few short weeks ago.

With an almost disbelieving shake of his head, Dante turned in the direction of his twin. The eldest of the two was standing alongside him, seemingly understanding what was going on better than he was, but no less taken aback by the rapid collapse of the settlement they currently stood in. It had taken them less than five minutes to arrive at this location after realizing that going directly into the conduit’s cave was virtually impossible due to some unseen barrier that seemed to be blocking their path. Although Dante had not seen Vergil fail to open a portal before, he didn’t need to ask his brother if that was a normal occurrence. If the somewhat befuddled look on his face had been anything to go by, it clearly wasn’t. So with no other options available to them, they had retreated to the relative safety and ease of access that the city provided them, intent on simply entering the structure the same what that they had originally. But now those plans seemed highly improbable and the likelihood of them being able to execute them as planned was distant, to say the least.

“So, any idea why like half of the city is on fire, Vergil?” Dante said with a thick layer of barely concealed confusion. It was far from the first time he’d seen a city burning, but from what he could tell, this didn’t have anything to do with a demonic attack. It occurred to him at that moment how strange it was that he immediately attributed large scale disasters to demonic activity and not a natural disaster of some sort, but that was simply the world he lived in. All of his assumptions were based on experience and inexperience in equal measure, and it was admittedly strange to see a city leveled by something that  _ wasn’t _ strictly demonic. But while the irony of that wasn’t lost on him, a certain question still lingered in his mind.

How had this happened in the first place?

The obvious answer was that Belial had done this somehow. After all, the timing of the two events and the locations involved couldn’t be coincidental. But the question that lingered in his mind was how had a demon managed to level an entire area without stepping foot into the human world? The number of explosives that would be needed by his cultists would have certainly set the entire adjoining forest alight, and the only thing on fire around them was downtown. Add to that the fact that Dante was somewhat certain that what remained of the cult either had been or would be exterminated by their leader, and you had a total juxtaposition of situations that didn’t strictly strike the youngest of the Dark Knight Sparda’s twin sons as possible or impossible simultaneously. It was all simply a bit surreal.

Vergil shifted slightly, taking in the litany of sights before him. In a situation like this, it was best to beat the authorities to the sight of the disaster of they still could, but he wasn’t sure how they could find the conduit from the ground level on foot before the local military decided to stumble their way into the forest. He combed the inner recesses of his mind, contemplating their options. He didn’t particularly like any of them, but it was still far from the worst outcome that this scenario could produce.

“... I can’t say. But we have more pressing matters to deal with,” Vergil said, turning and facing away from the street towards a nearby alley.” If we are to have any hope of reaching the conduit before they do, were going to have to go in from above. I am not in the mood to contend with armed military personnel tonight. This is a new shirt.”

Dante raised an eyebrow, following after his twin. While the prospect of being seen wasn’t ideal, and they would probably have to fly further out of the way as a result, it was still the quickest way of getting there since Yamato was out of the question. But they were going to have to be quick about it. An armed response couldn’t be far off.

“Wait, when did you buy a new shirt?” Dante asked as it occurred to him that his older brother had just mentioned wearing one. From what he could tell, that was true, he was in fact, wearing a new dark blue dress shirt of some sort that seemed to be made of a silk-like material. In fact, knowing Vergil’s exacting taste in literally everything, Dante was willing to guess that that was exactly what it was made out of. He just hadn’t noticed it until now due to the fact that both of them tended to wear multiple layers of clothing at all times. Hell, all of them did. But he couldn’t recall Vergil mentioning that he’d gone shopping at any point, well,  _ ever. _ It was far from the most important thing going on at the moment, but he was still curious.

The Darkslayer shot his twin a look of slightly flabbergasted disbelief as he continued forward, stopping when he was certain that they were out of the line of sight of most of the locals. It was beyond him to try and comprehend why his younger twin cared about that with everything going on, but he still just didn’t get it. Why was he like this? Why had he  _ always _ been like this?

“Magnolia purchased it. She insisted upon doing so when I visited her last week. She forced me to go shopping with her in an attempt to prevent me from hovering over V during his recovery, at least according to her.” Vergil crisscrossed Yamato through the air, this time leading to a portal opening. He let out a vague sigh of satisfaction, pleased that this time his destination seemed to be assessable. He’d never experienced such an unnerving phenomenon before, and the devil slayer in blue had no intention of doing so.” Come. We have somewhere else to be.”

Vergil stepped through the portal, signaling his urgency to Dante as he left him barely enough time to slip through after him before the portal closed. As soon as they exited the gateway, Dante took a moment to look around to try and regain some semblance of familiarity in regards to this new location. After a moment, he realized where they were. Just ahead of them was the cave entrance, or at least what remained of it. 

The blackness that had resided deeper into the structure bellowed outward like a tidal wave of putrid, all-encompassing smog, threatening to envelop the entire area. There was a definite change in the atmosphere that they found themselves in, something more primordial and malevolent. It was as though something had been unleashed in this place; some unknown seal broken. The twins looked at one another, seemingly coming to the same conclusion before activating their devil trigger forms and lurching forward into the sky.

Around the for several miles in either direction was the inky blackness that bellowed out of the remains of the conduit, snaking out in either direction like some sort of demonic tentacle monster comprised of smoke and fog. In a way, it reminded the youngest Son of Sparda of the roots of the Qliphoth, grasping and reaching out in every direction simultaneously as though it were searching for something. It was an unsettling sight, to say the least. Dante shook his head as the two of them plummeted downwards towards the center of the mass, Vergil seemingly knowing more about this than he was alluding to.

“I didn’t know that cave was keeping all of  _ this _ in it. Do they do normally do this kinda thing?” Dante said hesitantly as they approached the gaping wound that the cave-in had left in the ground below. It was as though a small lake had caved in and left a massive, jagged structure in the middle. Another unintentional yet morbid reminder of what was left of Redgrave City now that the Qliphoth had been destroyed.

With a slight furrowing of his brow, Vergil responded, clearly displeased by what he saw.” In truth, I’ve only heard whispers of what happens when a conduit goes critical like this. Try as they might, there is no way to stop this. At least this time the damage will be less widespread since there are no nearby cities. And most of the region seems to be evacuating.”

As they descended into the darkness before them and attempted to find a place to land that wasn’t mostly obscured by darkness, broken trees, or rubble, Dante mulled over his brother’s statement. What did he mean by “this time”? Was this not the end of the damage? “This isn’t over, is it? What, is this thing gonna blow up or something?”

The moment they both landed in front of the conduit, the structure shuttered viciously, sufficiently knocking them both off of their feet. They returned to their human forms as they made impact with the ground below them, nearly falling into the putrid black liquid below them. With a shared barely audible groan of discomfort, they both brushed themselves off and clambered to their feet, warily eyeing the imposing monolith in front of them.

For a moment, Vergil didn’t speak. He simply gazed upon the structure, not accustomed to standing this close to something so volatile and primordial. During their initial journey to rescue V, the eldest Son of Sparda had never been afforded such an up-close and personal encounter with the conduit, but now that he was closer to it, he wished that he was anything but. The structure radiated a certain unmistakable aura that he was all too familiar with, and it brought back memories that he would prefer to permanently forget if given the opportunity. This had most certainly been Belial’s handiwork, of that there were no doubts on his part. But that didn’t mean that he understood how it had come to pass. The devil slayer in blue closed his eyes for a moment before turning to face Dante, not at all pleased with the outcome this was going to initiate.

“Yes. Absolutely.” Vergil said, the level of certainty in his voice was far from comforting considering the subject matter that they were discussing. There was a grim, unwavering quality to the way that he spoke those two simple words that made the hair on the back of Dante’s neck stand up as he gazed upon the structure in front of them. There was no stopping this thing. He didn’t even need to ask. The calm, almost relaxed demeanor that radiated off of his older twin spoke volumes. He’d accepted that things had just blown wildly out of proportion, far out of their realm of conceivable control.

Well… that’s not good. Guess you’re not gonna get a follow-up date with Magnolia anytime soon.” Dante said as another tremor echoed through the cavern, the cave becoming more and more unstable by the second.

Vergil shot Dante a somewhat livid look, clearly displeased with him. Dante resisted the urge to smile in spite of it all. Nothing about this situation was positive, aside from the embarrassment that Dante knew that his brother was concealing beneath his barely justified rage. It didn’t matter if it was a date to him or not, Vergil was going to be livid either way and he knew that the moment his lips had allowed those words to slip through them.

“It was not a  _ date, _ Dante.” Vergil said through clenched teeth, letting out an irritated sigh.” We need to go.”

Dante shook his head slightly, allowing the barest form of a smirk to spread across his face.“Yea. Uh-huh. Sure, Vergil. I’m sure it wasn’t. Just keep tellin’ yourself that.”

The Darkslayer in blue unsheathed Yamato, extending towards Dante in a movement so smooth and sudden that Dante was genuinely taken aback by it. He allowed the blade to linger there for a moment, giving his younger brother a stern look of something akin to disgust before the younger of the two raised his hands in a halting gesture, signaling that he was done talking. Vergil then withdrew the blade and cut another cross-section in the air, this time more aggressively than before. The devil hunter in red got the idea that his older twin was repurposing the same motions that he’d like to do to him, but he wasn’t keen to find out. A lifetime of pushing Vergil’s buttons had taught Dante when he was dangerously close to being impaled by his brother, and his instincts told him that it was probably best to leave things be before he found himself in the possession of an extensive dry cleaning bill.

“Not another word, or I will leave you here. That I promise you, brother.” Vergil said, returning Yamato to its sheath with one graceful swing. He then stepped forward and into the portal, allowing his younger twin to follow close behind. As soon as he was out of earshot, Dante chuckled to himself as he gave the conduit a final glance and stepped through the portal, not at all surprised by his identical twin’s threat. Vergil clearly didn’t like discussing private matters, and even though Dante doubted that they had actually gone on a date, he knew that his brother would react the same way regardless. At the end of the day, Vergil was a solitary creature who didn’t enjoy others meddling in his personal affairs. But at least if they were seeing one another, Dante could finally put one question he’d always had about his older twin to rest. It seemed that friend or otherwise, Vergil possessed a predilection towards beautiful, fierce women. That was one of the few things they seemed to have in common. 

Dante couldn’t help but wonder what V and Nero’s mothers were like...

(-~-)

**Sunday, August 25th, 4:30 am**

“ _ If I was willing to make a guess, I’d say the gas main probably ruptured due to the collapse of one of the buildings, and some exposed electrical wiring probably did the rest. But I’m not a civic engineer, so I can’t add anything more to the conversation. Anyway, we will be closely monitoring the situation to see if things approved in either Capulet or- _ ”

A burst of static freed the shorter-haired man from the bleak reality of the news they’d just received, allowing them a moment to think. Nero glanced over at V, quietly cursing himself for bringing the portable radio that he’d found in the van into the house as his older sibling leaned over and silently turned the volume down, leaving it barely audible. He didn’t need to hear anything else, and Nero didn’t really disagree with the prospect of not listening to the reposts that were flooding in from both cities. Another demonic attack, and a cave-in. It didn’t take a mental giant to put together the fact that this might have something to do with the cult or the demon that they worshiped.

For almost a minute, they sat in near silence in front of the fireplace, reflecting on how something like this had happened. Everything had been just fine a few hours ago. What had changed so drastically in the short time that they’d been away from everyone else tending to V’s new dwelling? Was it that difficult for this region to go more than a week at a time without a catastrophic accident of some kind?   


V glanced up at Nero, his eyes traveling over towards the fireplace for a moment before he spoke.” … I did this, didn’t I? When I talked you both into going down there. I can just feel it.” He turned his attention towards the radio, fiddling with his sleeves for a moment as he considered the possible scope of his actions. There had been no way of knowing, but still. “I shouldn’t… throwing that cultist into the conduit was a terrible mistake. I just knew somehow.”

Nero shook his head, but there was a part of him that understood what he meant. It was not V’s fault that this attack had occurred, but the conduit acting like this after spending so long dormant underground did seem like fortuitous timing. But to totally blame himself for something like this didn’t seem fair. That wasn’t to say that he was surprised by this turn of events, but he still didn’t agree with the sentiments that V felt towards this situation. Was it simply his nature to respond to situations out of his control that involved innocent people being harmed by blaming himself?

“Look, this isn’t you’re-”

Before Nero could finish his statement, an unexpected sound caught their collective attention. Despite all possible logic telling them that what they’d just heard wasn’t possible, they knew better than to doubt their senses. Seemingly everything in their life was improbable. This shouldn’t’ be any different, aside from the fact that they were sitting in the living room of a basically abandoned building in the dark where no one should have known they were. That was an important factor.

And yet, in spite of it all, there was a knock at the front door.

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My extra ass actually pulled out a damn Callender and checked what day of the week august 25th was on in 2019 for this fic as well as finding out how long the story had taken place down to the day lol! I’ve truly lost my damn mind. Guess that means they are still living in 2019… wonder how they’d all handle the pandemic lol! That’s a fic for another damn time. Also, I’m thinking of starting “book three” once I hit chapter 40 just to preserve the structure and flow of how I write. Don’t worry, it would be literally the same story, just in the form of another fic. But I’ll make another pole for that for the next chapter. More details on Friday! Sorry again for the late chapter. I hope you all enjoy turkey day!


	39. Chapter Thirty Nine: Trespasser

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Listening to Crimson Cloud while writing this chapter hits differently. It’s just been that kind of day lol! More on that later. I’m very excited and also slightly anxious about this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it! Also, make sure to check out the footnotes for this chapter! There are some pretty neat things in them today!

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Trespasser

(-~-)

The atmosphere in the room grew tense, a palpable note of discomfort hanging in the air as oldest of the two descendants of the dark Knight Sparda silently reached over and turned the radio off. There was no need to ask what was going on. Neither of them had even the slightest idea as to how anyone aside from their known associates could know that they were there, especially since basically no one knew the address. The two shared a silent glance between one another and the doorway that led to the front entrance, considering the possibility of just not answering the door at all and pretending that they were not home. After a moment of startling mental synchronization, they nodded to one another, not needing to elaborate on what they were considering.

Both Nero and V carefully approached the door and, warry of a possible attack. There was just something about this situation that made them uneasy, and they were not keen on getting into a fight on the front porch of V’s new dwelling. A quick glimpse through the peephole indicated that there was no one at the door, at least no one that they could see. The younger of the two glanced back at V, the latter gesturing for him to answer the door. He was more than ready to take someone to task over this, even if that involved a battle of some sort. Although admittedly somewhat tired, he wasn’t physically wounded in any form anymore, and the combination of his newfound abilities and his cane being returned to his possession meant that he was far from helpless. Being kidnapped by that dreadful cult had been more than enough motivation for him to avoid being put in that kind of situation again.

After mentally cursing himself for only having his gun on him at that moment, Nero unlocked the door and pushed it open, fully expecting an ambush of some sort. What he received instead was an empty space and no signs of life. Had they both simply been hallucinating? Had some kid just knocked on the door and ran away in a silly attempt to be irritating? V stepped forward and examined the space before them, seemingly more perplexed than Nero was. He’d been so sure that he’d heard something…

Satisfied for the moment that there was no one out there, Nero stepped back, intending to close the door, only to become instantly startled and draw his revolver, signaling for a very befuddled V to join him. The longer haired man did so, glancing over his shoulder towards the now half-closed door to try and see what the commotion was all about. Much to V’s surprise, he found the source of his younger sibling’s distress. 

Leaned against the side of the house next to the front door was a hooded individual. They wore a nearly floor-length black silk like cloak coat with ribbed dark grey leather sleeves that seemed to zip from the turtle neck styled collar that covered the bottom of their mouth, to the waistline before a button-up flap secured the top of the garment. Strangely enough, the long garment was adorned with dark purple and white vertical stripes on the inside, a stark contrast to the outside of the garment. Aside from that, they were dressed somewhat casually, if one could consider grey leather ribbed jeans that matched their coat sleeves and semi-high top boots as “casual”.

Despite all of this being visible, the person in question was facing down towards the ground, their back touching the wall as their left leg bent outwards, braced against the dark brick. It was impossible to see their face in the dim light, but they didn’t need to be able to pick out any details to be able to tell that they were both being watched intently out of the corner of their uninvited visitor’s eyes. The unknown individual who, from what they could tell was a male, didn’t seem fazed in the slightest by the sight of the double-barrelled, high-caliber gun that was pointed in his face. Instead, they sighed under their breath and sighed, pushing themselves off of the wall and fixing the collar of their coat, indicating that they were actually wearing a turtle neck underneath the coat and that the purple high collared neck of their coat was actually the part that the zipper went up into.

Both Nero and V glanced at one another and then returned their attention to the stranger standing before them, increasingly curious as to what they were doing there. Something told them that this person was here for something more than directions, especially since they had gone to the trouble of standing out of the line of sight of the peephole as though they expected them to look through it. V, noting that Nero still had his gun drawn and was entirely ready to put a bullet in this unknown man motioned for his brother to lower the weapon slightly. He wanted to know what this was about before he lost the opportunity to find out. Was this man part of the cult that they had been doing battle against? And if so, how had he found them here? He didn’t seem like he was one of them based on his demeanor and the way that he was dressed, but it was far from impossible.

“... Do you have any idea what time it is? Most people are asleep at five in the morning,” V stated plainly, his tone careful but concise. Neither of them had no way of knowing what this individual was capable of, and V didn’t intend to be killed or have his new dwelling be leveled by this mysterious stranger. There was simply something about them that immediately put him on edge, and that wasn’t something that he was used to. The summoner got the impression that Nero felt something similar to the gut feeling that he did about this unknown individual, but he couldn’t exactly communicate with his younger sibling telepathically. That being said, the fact that Nero had a gun pointed at him seemed to allude to the fact that his assumptions about at least one of them were correct.

The man turned his hands outward and slowly lowered them to the same level as his chest, spreading them out to indicate that he was unarmed and meant them no harm. Somehow both of the young descendants of Sparda got the impression that this wasn’t because he feared for his safety. No, it was clearly a display of cooperation and nothing more. Neither of them was entirely sure how they knew, but they silently agreed that this being, whoever they were, was entirely capable of handling themselves. Call it a devil hunters intuition.

“Relax… I didn’t get up this early to initiate a duel to the death in full view of the public. You can lower your weapon. If I wanted to kill you, I would’ve done it already.”

Nero gave the man a sideways look before hesitantly lowering the weapon. It wasn’t so much because he’d been asked to as it was the fact that he actually wanted to see what they were getting at.” Yea, that’s reassuring. So what’s your damage?”

Much to the surprise of both of them, the shrouded figure chucked slightly, his wicked tone carrying more weight than it was probably meant to. His tone wasn’t entirely dissimilar to V’s although with a more pronounced accent; one that neither of them could really put their finger on. It was just present enough to notice, but not so much so that it dominated his speech patterns and made it easy to pinpoint its place of origin. Still though, it seemed strangely familiar to them.

“Please… let’s not open  _ that _ can of worms. We’ve only just met. I’m here to collect you. It seems that you have an urgent meeting to attend.” He said simply, a humorous tint to his voice. It was clear that he knew something they didn’t and he obviously relished in it. Not so much in a smug way. It was more sarcastic than anything else. Simply finding something entertaining that they were not privy to seemed to be something that brought him immeasurable entertainment value. In truth, it was slightly unsettling, especially to V for reasons he couldn’t quite place. In some ways, he got the impression that this had been what the people he now considered close friends had probably thought he was like when they’d first met, and he now understood why they had seemingly had such a difficult time trusting him at first. They hadn’t needed to say it. Their wary looks and unsure mannerisms had spoken loud and clear. Still, he hoped that they had adjusted to his quirks since then and become more accustomed to dealing with him, because it it was even half as awkward as this was to deal with him on a daily basis, he genuinely pitied them.

The young short-haired devil hunter was more than slightly suspicious, clearly not trusting their new acquaintance. And to be fair, who could blame him for that?” With who? Who the hell are you?”

With a slightly discontent sigh, the man shook his head slowly and reached up to grasp his hood with his hands, pulling it down and off of his head, allowing it to rest on his shoulders. It gave way to a mess of wavy red hair, the length of which was tricky to see in the dim light but it seemed to travel downwards a ways, resting at his chest. Strangely, it was not the regular shade of natural red that Nero was used to seeing someone like Kyrie possess, but a more vibrant shade of blood red that made another feature of his stand out like a sore thumb: his piercing, almost unnaturally light grey eyes. They were almost white with barely any notable pigment present in them. They were not gray with a touch of blue or green or even brown. No, they were pure gray, and almost strangely familiar for reasons that neither of them could pinpoint.

For a moment, Nero considered asking their “guest” if he was wearing contacts or had dyed his hair, but something just told him that that wasn’t the case. After all, both he and V possessed an unusual hair color. V’s was possibly the single whitest thing he’d ever seen aside from something that had fallen in bleach or acetone by accident. Perhaps it was the extremely fair complexion that the man possessed or something else. He couldn’t be sure. All he knew was that he found this entire situation profoundly strange and wanted to find out what was going on as soon as possible.

He remained calm despite the obvious hostility in Nero’s tone. After all, there was no reason that he should expect him to trust a total stranger that had just turned up at his door at the crack of dawn demanding to take him elsewhere. Despite the inconvenience it posed him, he couldn’t blame them for being slightly hostile towards him. If anything, he was glad that they were even humoring him at all. In his experience, that was a rare thing.” Two of your relatives. I’m not entirely sure how you’re related. And Magnolia. I couldn’t tell you why, but they insisted that we all speak. Somehow I get the impression that this is my doing, but I honestly can’t be bothered to care. I should be asleep right now.”

There was a part of V that actually agreed with the stranger. They should all be asleep, and the prospect of some sort of emergency meeting in the wee hours of the morning was enough to make him long for the sweet embrace of unconsciousness on the floor of his new home. If he knew Magnolia, then V was willing to trust him somewhat. But he had to confirm that he wasn’t lying first.” You’re acquainted with Magnolia? How so?”   
  
He shrugged.” I could ask you the same question. We’ve known one another for countless years. I can explain once we arrive, but they asked me to make haste. Something about needing to make preparations for a trip.”

At that, Nero scoffed slightly. In truth, that made sense to him. While that statement could absolutely be a very skilled bluff, they had decided that they would visit the Guardians and return the Arcana to them after V recovered. Considering what had happened that night, he was willing to imagine that they were probably talking about that trip. But just to be on the safe side, he wasn’t going to elaborate on that fact. It was best to not share sensitive information with a total stranger, especially one that could be fishing for information.” What do you mean, “countless years”? You can’t be any older than we are.”

For reasons that were beyond them, he laughed slightly at that statement. V and Nero shared a cautious look with one another, not entirely sure that he was entirely sane.” Oh, you have  _ no idea _ . Now then, shall we go? One of your relatives threatened to behead me when we first met, and I suspect he wasn’t joking.” He gestured towards the van, the vehicle still parked on the street where they’d left it earlier that day. While V did in fact own a small garage now, hauling boxes all the way from the back of the house hadn’t been very conducive to the efficiency of their energy levels.” It may be quicker if we drive. By the way, I didn’t catch your names. Forgive me.”

V crossed his arms slightly, not entirely sure they should be telling him anything. Names were powerful, after all. That was a large part of the reason he didn’t tend to tell others what his full name was. But, that being said, the young summoner was inclined to believe that this man had indeed come there on behalf of Magnolia and their father and uncle. There was only one person he knew of who would be unhinged enough to threaten to behead someone the first time they met, and they happened to be related to him. 

With a tentative sigh, V gestured towards the man, reaching back to close the front door of the house the rest of the way. He grabbed his cane while he was at it. The long piece of metal had been resting against the wall inside of the entryway. V had to remember to purchase an umbrella stand or something akin to it to store it in when it wasn’t in use. He felt more or less fine navigating his own domain without it, but that wasn’t strictly the case when he was forced to leave the house. He’d simply tolerated it up until now in the hopes of locating a suitable replacement in the near future. Thankfully that was no longer necessary. Hopefully, he wouldn’t need to utilize its alternate purpose.

“ _ Likewise _ ... You can call me V,” The summoner said, carefully concealing his uncertainty. He had to remind himself from time to time that he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. He had done so for years, even before he’d discovered the secrets of his lineage.” And that would make you…?”   


The young man in the striped coat nodded, placing his left hand behind his back and bowed slightly lower than the average person would, mimicking a more out of date mannerism that his youthful appearance depicted. He rolled his right hand, offering it to V to shake who stared at him for a moment, deeply out of his element. The redhead never broke eye contact, something that the young Descent of the Dark Knight Sparda admittedly found slightly intimidating. He wasn’t fond of eye contact, but V got the impression that he had done this song and dance on more than one occasion. He himself didn’t possess the center of balance required to do so. Still, he was admittedly slightly charmed by the over the top gesture, his fondness of more antiquated things thoroughly impressed with the greeting. V hesitantly reciprocated the gesture, unaccustomed to physical indications of the sort. It was rare that he ever had to do so.

“Ah yes, where are my manners? My name is Sirrus. The last name is…  _ inconsequential _ , much as I imagine you’d like to consider your first name.” He glanced over at Nero, a placid but purposeful look indicative of the fact that he was here for a reason crossing his visage. Although polite, he was thoroughly sarcastic, a fact that belied his more serious resting facial expression. If anything he seemed somewhat melancholy.” And you, my young friend, would be…?”

Nero gave him an unamused look. Oh great, not  _ two _ overly proper people!” Nero. I’m Nero. I don’t do handshakes.”

Sirrus stared at him for a moment before cracking a mischievous smile, closing his eyes and allowing his long eyelashes to nearly brush the bottom portion of his face. He chuckled deep in his chest, his lips never parting. He then spoke, his sultry voice caring that same darkness that had been present in all of his conversations.” Yes, I can see that. No matter. Shall we proceed, then? The sun will be up soon, and I suspect that may cause problems. Trafic and the like.”

The two brothers glanced between one another, somewhat resigned to their fates at this point. It was entirely possible that this was simply a very elaborate ruse designed to trap them or something equally nefarious, but at this point, neither of them really cared. They were more interested in seeing what was truly going on, and he happened to be telling the truth, then it was simply a happy bonus at this point. Otherwise, there would be hell to pay, and the fiery redhead would live to regret the day he tried to lure them into a trap.

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that the chapter is slightly late! It’s been a chaotic day. Thanksgiving dinner ran late, and then I left my job over health and safety concerns. I’ll be fine. I’m sure of it. But at the end of the day, my health is more important than minimum wage, even if the job Itself was pretty fun most days. See you all on Wednesday! And please check out my poll for book three! I think you might find it interesting! I also had an illustration done of Sirrus. Been planning this chapter for like two months lol! Links to both will be below! I hope you had a safe and happy holiday. Take care!
> 
> Link to picture: https://www.deviantart.com/redrequiem0/art/08-2020-851324035
> 
> Link to Questionnaire: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/16rSk71Zna2uhzGG1CQAxb6I05v6dTv8O8usPxcSUniU/edit?usp=sharing


	40. Chapter Forty: Judgement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: See the end for the closing notes! Thank you so much to everyone who did the poll! It’s still open until Sunday in case you still wanted to do it but didn’t have time! More on that later!

Chapter Forty: Judgment

(-~-)

**Sunday, August 25th, 5:30**

None of them could recall the last time they had participated in such a woefully silent ride in the van. Despite the obvious time pressure and severity of the majority of the missions that they underwent, there was normally an air of excitement or humor on board the van, even on the occasions that the passengers present were missing a sense of humor altogether. Tension wasn’t an emotion that most of the Devil May Cry crew associated with their commutes, but on this specific occasion, that was the _perfect_ adjective to use to describe how they felt about the situation that they currently found themselves in.

The strangest thing about the situation was that their new guest didn’t seem the slightest bit fazed about the situation. He sat atop one of the two stools that accompanied the bar-style table that was bolted down behind the drives seat, more or less silently content with flipping through a magazine that one of them had left onboard sometime ago. Some sort of mind-numbing fashion periodical that none of them really cared to flip through aside from Nero who claimed to have taken a nap under it at one point or another during a mission. All in all, it wasn’t the sort of thing that any of them really cared to read, but the unfamiliar redhead in question seemed to be captivated to some considerable degree with every single page of the thin paper booklet, nodding to himself quietly as he read each page, genuinely intrigued.

In an effort to ease the admittedly agonizing silence between them, Nero sighed and came to the conclusion that maybe trying to talk to this new guy might make things less uncomfortable. V was sitting shotgun to him, quietly contemplating something that Nero couldn’t fathom. He’d been around V long enough at this point to tell when he was thinking deeply about something, and he was willing to bet that in this particular situation, it was the mysterious redhead they were currently traveling with. There was no way that his older brother was going to initiate a conversation with him, so it was probably best that he do so himself.

“So, um… Sirrus right? What’s so interesting about that magazine? You’ve been reading it since we left.” Nero said with a passive glance towards the back of the van. He’s become accustomed to driving with Nico around, but that didn’t mean that he’d forgotten the basics of road safety. For a moment he caught himself wondering if V could drive. He’d seen him sit in the driver’s seat before, but the white-haired summoner had never so much as reached for the steering wheel. He’d have to ask him about that another time when he wasn’t so… preoccupied.

A surprisingly pleasant smile spread across the newcomer’s face, his grey eyes leaving the magazine for a moment to acknowledge Nero’s question. He seemed pleasantly surprised that the devil hunter with the short hair was actually speaking to him. It was a nice change of pace from the last half hour or so of awkward but admittedly welcome silence.

“Oh, and here I thought you were giving me the silent treatment. Understandable, of course. I don’t tend to mix well with strangers, either. But regardless, I’m glad you asked.” He glanced between V and Nero for a moment before nodding towards the magazine in question. The older of the two white-haired demon hunters seemed to catch his gaze for a moment, still in the process of combing over his mental quandaries.” I love to see how the clothing and the people that wear it change over time. It’s kind of a timepiece in of its self in that regard. I find it truly fascinating. Living history has always captivated me in a way that times long since passed could not, though in that sense, all moments are instantaneously relegated to the annals of history the moment they pass, so history will always be both living and dead. Strange how that works.”

Nero stared at him blankly for a moment, simultaneously confused and yet somehow fully understanding what Sirrus meant by that all at once. At least from what he could tell. He hadn’t expected that response in the slightest, and his lack of a sufficient response pointed to that factor. But then who would expect such a philosophical answer to such a benign question? No one in their right mind expected to receive a thesis paper as a response to a simple inquiry, after all.

Without warning, V stood up and made his way over to the couch that sat across from their new companion, seeming finished with whatever had kept him so preoccupied the majority of the car ride. There was a certain level of obvious curiosity that was evident in the other man’s gaze as V sat down, giving him an intense but otherwise harmless look that was difficult to decipher. From what Nero could tell at a casual glance, it seemed almost as if V were attempting to study the man in the hopes of understanding something. Maybe there was more to him that he has initially suspected, and V knew something that he did not? That wasn’t impossible. Neither of them had moved past the point of suspicion when it came to this new person who they had only met a short while ago. Much like when Nero had first met V, he had far more questions than answers, and what questions he did have were profound and needed to be addressed as soon as possible. Hopefully they would have them in a few minutes when they affixed at Magnolia’s house.

“I’m curious. What do you mean by living and dead history? Is that to say that history that has yet to be created is living, but that which has already been created and resigned to paper should be considered dead as, by its very nature, it is in the past?” V reclined slightly, attempting to make himself somewhat more comfortable than he previously was. This conversation had suddenly piqued his interest, and he wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to gain a better understanding of who they were working with.” Can actions that have yet to be carried out _be_ history, or are they simply predestined, if you believe in that sort of thing?”

Sirrus raised an eyebrow, nodding to himself slowly as he took in V’s response, taking a moment to linger on the questions that he’d been asked. He chuckled slightly, closing as he nodded in agreement, this time much more noticeably than he had before; more sure of himself and of how he felt about the inquiry.” I think I like you. I hope I don’t come off as the smug, pretentious lout that you probably think I am by now. In actuality, I’m quite approachable. I just lack people skills.”

Nero scoffed slightly at the statement.” Well, if that’s the case, at least your self aware.”

A thoroughly exhausted expression crossed the young summoner’s face, signaling that he suddenly felt more exhausted than he had a moment ago. It was as if the possible repercussions of such a bold statement had physically aged him several years. While there was a part of V that genuinely loved Nero’s no-nonsense attitude, neither of them was sure what this stranger was capable of just yet, and he was willing to bet that possibly the worst place to receive that education would be in the back of a moving vehicle. While he was sure that they could both handle themselves, he wasn’t eager to limp the rest of the way to Magnolia’s home after pulling himself out of a car accident, especially if they then had to explain what had happened after arriving.

Much to his surprise, Sirrus burst into hysterical laughter. Nero glanced back at him for a moment as the red-haired man whipped a few stray beads of moisture from his eyes, noting the curious look that V was giving him. He seemed almost confused, unsure as to how to interpret that kind of reaction. Was he angry, or did he actually find that entertaining? In truth, it was all a bit much from him this early in the morning. The summoner was far from the sort of person who enjoyed being up this early, and critical thinking? Well, that didn’t occur until at least nine am at the earliest.

“To be honest, I think your probably right. I am a stuck up git, aren’t I?” Sirrus said as he took a few deep breaths to settle himself.” The environment I come from demands composure and a keel intellect above everything else. Having an actual personality is secondary. It’s nice to do fieldwork for a change. Thank you for entertaining my insanity.”

Before either of them could ask him to elaborate, they turned onto the street that Magnolia lived on and Nero pulled the van to a stop. The porch light was on, and the front door opened as soon as the key was removed from the ignition, signaling to both of them at they had, in fact, been expecting them. Sirrus nodded and then opened the side door to the van, gesturing for V to go ahead of him. After a moment, he obliged, noting that the man in the black coat patiently waited for him to exit before hopping down and closing the door. Nero exited through the front door to the van, joining V as their companion forged ahead, waiving at Magnolia. She stood in the doorway shaking her head as they approached, seemingly saying something under her breath.

V glanced over at Nero as he joined him, the two of them heading up the stairs just behind the intrepid man in the foreign getup. He seemed slightly perplexed, earning him a curious look from the younger of the two as they approached the door.” What is it?”

The young summoner shrugged slightly, a gesture that Nero was not at all accustomed to seeing. From what he could tell, V was more than ready to see what was going on so that they could enact whatever plan they had probably been summoned here to discuss. He needed to put his mind at ease, not that he was exactly worked up to start with. He just needed a more concrete idea of who and what they were working with.

“It’s nothing. I simply find it amusing that you could drive as well as you do this entire time, and yet you insist upon allowing Nico to nearly kill us every time we travel.” V chuckled slightly under his breath, smirking as they entered the building.” If others had not been foolish, we should be so.”

Nero followed behind him, shaking his head as they entered the room to find two familiar faces sitting across from them. Both Dante and Vergil seemed to be just a few moments shy of a disagreement, and he got the feeling that their arrival might have been the only thing that had stopped that from occurring. Between that and the quote that V had just thrown his way, Nero was about as done with the situation as his older sibling was, and they’d only just arrived. How was it only six in the morning and things had gone this poorly already?

“Okay, now that everyone is here, I think I have some explaining to do,” Magnolia said, a slightly somber look on her face. She took a deep breath and exhaled, clearly displeased by some turn of events that the majority of the group had missed.” Well, everyone except Nico. But I suspect that she will be along in a moment-”

As if summoned by the words that Magnolia had spoken, the mechanic came from the kitchen, clearly caught red-handed in the act of eating something. Magnolia gave her a humorous look as the young gunsmith shrugged, clearly embarrassed by the number of eyes that she found on herself. It seemed that she’s been found out long before now, and the kindly botanist had simply been biding her time waiting for an opportunity to publicly shame her for her gluttony.

“Hehe… _My bad._ I was hungry, and there were dinner rolls, and one thing lead to another and…” Nico rapidly realized that there were more pressing things at hand, her gaze turning to Sirrus as she finished chewing whatever was left of what she’d been eating, still holding a spare in her off-hand as she raised her free hand to gesture towards the newcomer.” Should I even ask who this is, or should I just go back to eating?”

Dante laughed to himself slightly, gesturing in a manner somewhere between a shrug and a disingenuous “whatever” motion.” If you’re going for the second option, then so am I. I still have no idea what’s going on here, and I’m actually pretty hungry.”

Vergil shot Dante a look of flabbergasted disbelief before turning his attention back to Magnolia and Sirrus. Just as she’d said, they were due some answers, and he intended to receive them sooner rather than later.” … What is this about, then? Time is of the essence.”

The plucky botanist nodded before reaching into her apron pocket and producing a familiar black book. Confused looks were exchanged across the room before she contented, gesturing towards Sirrus as she did so.” When V brought this book back, I enlisted the help of a longtime associate of mine to help deal with it. As I might have mentioned before, it’s heavily cursed and, as such, needs someone experienced to decipher it. That is where _he_ comes in.”  
Everyone glanced in the red head’s direction as she handed him to book. He opened the cover, flipping through the pages with a look so casual that it actually unnerved Magnolia slightly. He then closed the book and scoffed, groaning as he returned it to her.

“Honestly, Magnolia. _Associates?_ Were far more than that. I can’t be that embarrassing to know.” he turned back towards the room, facing the rest of them in an attempt to settle the discourse he felt brewing in the small space.” Yes, that book is _very_ cursed, and for good reason. I think I’d be more concerned if it _wouldn’t_ try to kill me for reading it. It’s an Apocrypha, a book of forbidden knowledge. I wouldn’t be surprised if the influence of that book alone was enough to drive those cultists I’ve heard about insane.”

Vergil looked visibly uncomfortable with that revelation.” … I have a feeling that I may know where they got it from. Have you heard a devil prince named Belial?”

A somewhat startled look crossed Sirrus’s face as he nodded, immediately understanding the implications of what the eldest Son of Sparda was implying.” Ah. Truly wonderful. And just when I thought this part of the country couldn’t have _more_ problems. Now I understand why I’m here.” He took a moment to remove his coat and hang it on the coat rack nearest to the door, clearing his throat before proceeding.” I am an adjudicator on behalf of… well, that’s not important. What _is_ is that I’ve been assigned to find out what the _hell_ is going on in this region. But with a Prince of Darkness involved as well as an Apocrypha, I can’t say that it’s much of a mystery anymore. Cult or no cult, this honestly can’t get much worse.”

Dante raised his hand, interjecting. While the gesture was entirely unnecessary and he knew it, it garnered the correct response. In the end, he’d done so more to bring humor to a bleak conversation than to actually ask for permission to speak. He’d never asked for that a day in his entire life, and there was no point in starting now.

“Would an Arcana make it worse? Because the cult had one of those, too. And a Conduit. Well, they did before their master killed them all. But that’s what I’d call a “technicality.” Dante gestured towards V and Nero, the two having gradually made their way over to the couch during the discussion. They couldn’t have been more lost as to what was going on if they tried.” You two got any ideas?”

Nero shook his head, more interested in finding out more about what was going on than anything else. It was problematic, to say the least.” Honestly, I just wanna know how you two even know each other.” He said, pointing between Magnolia and Sirrus.” I mean, are you two related or something? I don’t know _anyone_ that can read a cursed book or whatever, and I live in _Fortuna._ What a lucky break.”

Much to their collective surprise, Sirrus nodded. “Yes, that does make it worse. Considerably worse, actually. I work in antiquities, so to speak. And ironically, yes, we _are_ related. Though distantly. Probably a few times removed. There are a few divorces in there somewhere.” He shook his head, clearly recalling some until and more than likely complicated series of events that they were not privy to.” It’s quite a long and complicated story, so you’ll forgive me for not retelling it now. There will be time enough for that later. Regardless, I’m happy to help in any way that I can. This is a case of both business and pleasure, and the two rarely mix. When Magnolia askes, I deliver. It’s that simple.”

His eyes traveled to the far end of the room, landing on Nico as she gave him a perplexed look that he couldn’t quite quantify. The rest of the room followed his gaze, sharing his puzzled sentiments. None of them were sure what was going on with her, but they also knew that if it was Nico, then she probably had a decent reason to look so confused. As a whole, she tended to keep her composure in most situations. Something was clearly bothering her.

“Have I done something wrong, Luv? You seem disconnected from the situation.” The redhead looked genuinely confused as to why she looked so lost.” I there something I can do to put your mind at ease?”

The normally silly, funloving mechanism gave him a sideways look, nodding to herself as though she had just confirmed something for herself.” I knew it! We have met before. You been in town recently?”

An amused smile spread across Sirrus’s face as he chucked under his breath slightly, nodding in agreement.” Guilty as charged. I was wondering if you’d recognized me.” He looked genuinely pleased with himself as he continued to laugh to himself, clearly reveling in the irony of their encounter.” So, how was the blueberry pomegranate danish, then? Did you end up getting it?”

Nico shook her head and flopped down in one of the nearby seats.” Yea, I got it. What the hell? Small world, hu?”

He nodded.” Yes. Yes, it is.” he turned his attention to the rest of the room, a more serious look on his face.” I do hope there is some sort of plan?”

Vergil gave him an ambiguous look, not entirely sure that they should even call it that.” We have to return the artifact to the guardians that watch over it. After that, no. Not at all. I don’t make plans that far ahead.”

Dante repressed the urge to laugh. They were thoroughly fucked, weren’t they?” Well, at least you can admit it. But yea, getting that knife as far from this demon as we can is all we’ve got at the moment. Unless we decide to go down to the underworld and pick a fight with him, that’s all we really _can_ do until we know more about what he’s planning.”

Sirrus nodded, the severity of the situation weighing on him.” Well, then I won’t keep any of you any longer. I have my own investigations to undergo, and it looks like you have a trip to prepare for. Good luck to you. I’ll be back with you shortly.”

With that, he grabbed his coat off of the coat hanger and slipped out of the front door, leaving them to sit and consider their next move carefully. There were still far more questions that there were answers, but that was normally the case, wasn’t it? For now, all they could do was deal with the task at hand. There was one eventually that they could prepare for, and so long as that was the case, that would be their main goal. Taking things one at a time could be their best shot at figuring out how best to combat what they were up against.

Dante glanced out across the room. No one needed to say anything. They knew what they needed to do next. “Ok then that settles is. I’ll call the girls. It’s time to visit Lucia.”

(-~-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to take a moment to thank everyone who took the time to read this fic! I never would have thought that such an awesome community of people would spring up around this AU, and I can’t thank you enough for everything! This isn’t the end, don’t worry! Were just going into book three soon.
> 
> Book Three is called Hiraeth!
> 
> On Friday, December 18th, 2020, book three starts! I just need a few weeks to get the new pages together! Don’t be surprised if you see me throw a few chapters of a new fic up. I’m thinking of doing something fun just for the hell of it during that period, so look out for a new fic called “Saudade”. It’s just a collection of side fics to fill in parts of the story that didn’t need a whole chapter in the main series. Might even throw some stuff in there from Dante and Nero’s childhoods. I’ll toss it into the Series section for this fic, so keep an eye on that sometime next week if your interested!
> 
> My poll from last week is still open as well! Thank you to everyone who took the time to fill it out! And thank you for everything! See you in two weeks!

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome back everyone! Just a few quick points! As always, I am happy to hear your comments and feedback! I decided to not stress myself out with an arbitrary work count minimum so the chapters will be a bit more organic this time around. That doesn't necessarily mean they will be longer or shorter, just that they will be however long they need to be to tell the story correctly. That being said, chapter two is longer than this one, so that's fun! I also want to give a special thank you to everyone who filled out the questionnaire for me at the end of the last book! At this time, it's closed, but it made a huge impact on how I arranged things in this book. The way this is going, I may very well just keep writing for this AU for the foreseeable future as we all seem to enjoy it. I even went out and purchased a new laptop just for this (I'm not rich, it's just a nice chromebook since I use Google Doc and my table is having a hard time) Wednesday and Friday between Noon and six pm CDT is still the publishing time. And thank you all very much for reading chapter one! See you back here on the 22nd of July! I hope my spelling was better this time around!


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